


Geniuses Collide

by Ireadforfun_12



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ireadforfun_12/pseuds/Ireadforfun_12
Summary: Tony Stark is forced to participate in a contest in college. Stephen Strange is not a fan of his new teammate. They have to figure out how to get along and win the contest.





	1. Introductions

Chapter 1

Stephen Strange was waiting for Mrs. Abbot in her office. He wasn't used to be in a teacher's office at all but he knew what this was about. This year Stephen would be competing on the Knowledge Contest that the elite colleges of New York held each year. Unfortunately for him, the competition was in pairs, so Strange assumed he was about to meet his partner. He was aware he was bad in social matters, but he didn't really care. Stephen only wanted to win because the price was ten thousand dollars and he really needed the money to finish some research he was doing. His only hope was that his partner wouldn't slow him down.

He look at the clock on his wrist and sighed. This was getting boring and he had better things to do with his time. He started to examine Mrs. Abbott office as a distraction when he heard steps coming towards him.

"I told you to be here at 2 o'clock"

"Sorry, teach, I lost track of time"

"Sure, now get in there, your classmate is probably waiting"

Stephen thought the voice was familiar and he indeed recognise the owner when he and Mrs. Abbott stepped in.

"Hello, Stephen, sorry to keep you waiting"

Strange only nodded.

"Right" the teacher said.

"Well, I don't know if you know each other so let me do the introductions. Stephen Strange this is Tony Stark. Tony, this is Stephen"

"Huh, that's Strange" Tony said while extending his hand to Stephen with an amused smile.

"Yeah, I get that a lot" he replied coldly shaking Stark's hand

"Well now, take a sit guys"

"After you" Tony said

Stephen already knew who Tony Stark was as so did the entire campus. Not only was he known because his father was a famous creator of technology and weapons but because Tony knew how to be the centre of attention. Stephen was not very familiarized with all the scandals and rumours about him but he was aware the other teenager was some sort of playboy and enjoyed drinking. To be honest, Stephen didn't know how he felt with this. On one hand he knew Stark was brilliant, probably not as much as himself but at least he wasn't some mediocre teen. Although he also knew Stark wasn't the kind of guy who takes things seriously, which led him to wonder what motive could he have to be on the competition, because certainly the price was not it.

"So, as you know, the Knowledge Contest will take place three months from now. We will have some studying meetings on the classroom once a week, but I recommend you two to study together at least three times a week"

"What?" Tony asked looking kind of offended "I have other things to do"

"So do I"

"Maybe we can study on our own and just meet with you once a week"

Mrs. Abbott sighted. "Well, sorry guys if I said this was suggestion, but I am afraid you will have to meet outside the classroom. Why do you think I put you together?

"Because..."

"Well..." Said Tony interrupting Stephen "I'm just guessing here but maybe you think we would make a cute couple"

Strange looked at him as if he has said the stupidest thing. _What's wrong with this guy?_

"Yes, Tony, because obviously I majored in Matchmaking"

"Ha! I knew it" Replied Stark with a smug smile and winked at Stephen.

"Tony, please, take this seriously"

"Okay, sorry. But you do have to admit I'm pretty" 

Both Mrs. Abbott and Stephen rolled their eyes. _How could Mrs. Abbott think it was a good idea for me to work with Tony Stark? This guy is impossible. He won't take it seriously_

"As you must know, you are some of the brightest students in campus"

"Some?" Both asked at the same time. They looked at each other and Stephen almost smiled.

"Okay, let's say you are THE brightest students on campus, happy? My point is that I think this year we have a big opportunity and you working as a team would be great for school and yourselves"

Both of them raised an eyebrow as if asking. _What benefit could I get from him?_ But said nothing

"For example, you, Stephen are great with chemistry and biology and you Tony with physics and mathematics"

"I'm great at those too" Stephen replied, looking a little offended with the implication that he needed Tony's help.

"Yeah, I rock chemistry and biology, why would we need each other?"

"Jesus" Mrs. Abbott sighed, starting to lose her patience "Tony, I must remind you, you have no option in this, okay? And Stephen, I'm not saying you need his help, I'm saying you can prepare each other, seriously, what is better for studying than doing it with someone who is a smart as you?"

"I suppose you're right"

"Good, then get out of here and decide when and where will you study"

The boys stood up, looking at each other with little trust. You could tell neither of them liked the arrangement but they had no option but working together.

"And by the way" Mrs. Abbott added as the teens stepped outside "I talked to another student, he won this competition on his freshman year. He is willing to help too"

"Great" said Tony with sarcasm. Stephen felt the same.

"Who?" Strange asked just out of respect, not really interested.

"Bruce Banner"

"Great!" Said Tony now with a genuine smile "That will make this a little more interesting"

Once they were out in the hall, Tony grabbed a pen from his pocket and took Strange's hand.

"Hey" he replied, not pulling away.

"Calm down, Strange" he said, writing something on the other boy's palm. "There" Tony said and let go Stephen's hand "You now have my address and number"

"Couldn't you just write that on paper?" Strange replied coldly while reading his palm.

"Hey, you're lucky. Must people have to buy me dinner first to get these"

"Sure. What a fool of me not to thank you for such a privilege"

"Exactly" Stark said with a smile, ignoring the sarcasm

"Your turn"

"For what?"

"Your number, Strange" he said, handing the pen and offering his hand

"Fine" He took Tony's hand and wrote his number.

"Good. See ya, Strange"

"Whatever" Tony started walking to the exit and Stephen took the opposite direction, towards the bathroom. He took a piece of paper out of his backpack and wrote Tony's address and number. He then washed his hands consciously, he had always hated for his hands to be dirty. 

 _This better be worth it_ they both thought to themselves.


	2. Arrangements

**Chapter 2**

Two days after the meeting, Stephen got back to his dorm on campus after running 5 miles like every morning. He went to his bedroom to pick his clothes for the day but accidentally pushed his backpack, which fell to the floor, letting some notebook and papers slip out.

He kneeled to pick all up and found the piece of paper with Stark's phone.

"Right..."

Stephen took out his own phone and dialled the number. Better finish with this soon. Tony answered 10 seconds later

"Yeah? This is Tony Stark speaking"

He sounded distracted, which did not surprised Stephen. There was some noise on the background and he could hear other people talking

"Stark. It's Stephen, Stephen Strange"

"Eh... Oh! Strange, right, what's up?"

"Well, we are supposed to study or something, before we see Mrs. Abbott again"

"Mm... Yeah, I hear you. Give me 1 second"

Stephen already regretted calling Tony. He waited with the phone on his ear. There was some movement, something that sounded like an explosion and then cheers. He did not bother to ask what was happening, he just wanted to arrange a meeting with Stark and continue with his activities.

"Okay, Strange, I'm free now"

"So when do we meet?"

"You could come over right now"

"Really?"

"Yeah, my apartment is just outside campus and Bruce is already here"

"Banner?"

"The one and only"

"Okay, I guess I could be there in 20 minutes. Are you sure it won't be a problem?"

"Why would it be a problem?"

"It sounds like you're busy"

"Oh, no, not really, just come over. It will be fine"

"Okay"

"See ya"

Stephen hang up. He took a shower and ate an apple while putting everything he considered would be useful for studying in his backpack. He decided to walk and even though he knew Stark was a millionaire he was still impressed by the building he lived in. Of course Strange was nowhere near poor, but still.

Two seconds after he entered the building, a man in a black uniform welcomed him.

"Good morning, sir. How are you today?"

"Good morning, I'm fine, thanks"

"Who are you visiting?"

"Anthony Stark"

"Are you his friend?"

"I wouldn't call myself that"

"His boyfriend maybe?"

"What? No"

"Oh, I'm just kidding, sir. I'm sorry. Mr. Stark called two minutes ago. The elevator is at the end of the hall, he lives at the Penthouse"

"Of course he does"

"Have a good day, sir"

Stephen didn't answer. He felt a little awkward with the conversation he just had but chose to ignore it. He pressed the last button and waited. When he arrived there was only one long hall. He got to the door and rang the bell.

There was some noise, people talking and then he saw a face that looked kind of familiar.

"Hey, Stephen?"

"Yeah"

"Come in, I'm Bruce Banner"

As he entered Tony's apartment, he realised that first, the view from where he was standing was breath taking and two, Bruce Banner was wearing pyjamas.

"Tony's taking a shower but he said we can wait for him in the kitchen. He'll be ready soon"

"Okay"

Strange started to figure that Banner was Tony's boyfriend or something.

"Meanwhile, I'll introduce you to the rest of us"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on" he replied.

Bruce took Strange to the living room where he saw two teenagers laying on the couch. They, just like Bruce, were wearing pyjamas.

"So, this is James Rhodes"

"Hey, man"

"Hey"

"And this is Happy"

"Happy?"

"Yeah, weird, I know"

"Wanna join us?" Rhodes asked. They were playing some kind of videogame and Stephen wasn't sure if they had woke up early to play or if they hadn't sleep at all.

"It's okay" he excused himself. "I think I'll wait for Stark in the kitchen"

"Sure" Bruce said smiling "next door to your right"

"Thanks"

Stephen followed the directions he was given and almost chocked on his own saliva when he saw Tony Stark wearing nothing but a white towel around his hips. Tony turned around when he heard Stephen coughing.

"Oh, Strange! Are you alright?" He asked with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Why...?" Was all Stephen could say, pointing at the towel.

"Oh, sorry. You know, when you said twenty minutes you actually meant twenty minutes. I was just making some coffee. Want some?"

Stephen try really hard to look into Tony's eyes and nothing else. But he decided it would be easier to just look at the floor. He was so relieved when he heard Bruce's voice.

"Tony, what the fuck?! Put some clothes on!"

"I'm going! Take it easy, man"

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Stephen"

"Hey! It's not like looking at me is so awful"

"Shut up and go get dressed. Jesus..."

"Whatever"

Tony left the kitchen and Stephen felt like he could breathe again. 

“You can put your back on the counter” Bruce said pointing at the table. Stephen nodded and sat down.

“So, it’s okay if I call you Stephen or would you rather…?”

“Stephen is fine”

“Okay” Bruce said and then poured himself some orange juice “Want some?”

“I’d rather have some coffee”

Bruce smiled and nodded. As he went to get a cup, Tony Stark, fully dressed reappeared in the kitchen.

“Hey, Strange”

“Stark” Stephen noticed his hair was still wet from the shower.

“Is it okay for you if we study here? I have a studio, but right now it’s a mess. I’ve been working on some projects over there”

“Wherever is fine”

“Cool. So, I guess you already met Bruce”

“Yeah”

“So, have you had any breakfast?”

“Why, are you going to cook for me?”

“Funny” Stark replied with a smile “But I’m afraid we’re not that close yet. I was just asking ‘cause it’s quite early and if you’re hungry I can call downstairs and have something made for you”

“I’m fine”

“In that case let’s get started” he said sitting right in front of Stephen “You seem to have a plan”

“Not exactly. But I thought we could start with something simple, like Chemistry”

“That’s fine by me, what do you say Bruce?”

“I’m not sure how helpful I’ll be this early in the morning, but I’ll try”

“Good. Oh, but before we start, I was thinking we could meet here on Wednesdays you know, if you're free 'cause right now I'm a bit bussy with some other projects."

“Sounds great. I thought you didn’t care about this”

“Oh, I don’t, but I also don’t want to hear Mrs. Abbott speech again.”

“That’s enough for me”

“When would you like for us to meet at your place? If you want that”

“Is Saturday morning okay?”

“Sure, time?"

"10AM too early?"

"A little, but I think it won't be a problem"

“Okay, let’s get started”


	3. Fights

“Well, I can’t say this was awful”

“Gee, I’m flattered”

“All I’m saying is I heard a lot of people say you can be such an asshole”

“Stop, I’m blushing”

“But you weren’t, or at least it wasn’t bad as I had imagined”

“If you wish I can start acting like an ass right now, since you sound kind of disappointed”

“Shut up, Stark”

“You shut up, Strange. We were doing great and suddenly you attack me”

They were walking down the hall of the building where they would meet Mrs. Abbott. They kept asking random questions at each other since they run into each other on the cafeteria.

“Ups, sorry. I also heard you didn’t have feelings. Guess that’s a lie too”

“Of course I have feelings, idiot. For example, I love me, ‘cause, like, who doesn’t? I hate studying and pizza makes me really happy”

“You’re right. How can people say you don’t have a heart when you feel such complex emotions”

They got to the classroom Mrs. Abbott said they’ll be studying that afternoon and didn’t notice she was there until they heard:

“Hey, guys” she said, sounding a little surprised. And she was, not only because Tony Stark was there on time, but because Stephen and Tony were smiling at each other when they got in. She had expected the guys with the biggest egos on campus to be less friendly, but was actually glad with the outcome.

“Hey, Mrs. A. How are you doing?” Stark greeted her as he sat down on the chair near the window. Stephen put his back on the chair next to Tony and sat.

“I’m good, thanks”

Mrs. Abbott stared at the two teenagers, still surprised with how well they seemed to get along. After a couple of seconds in complete silence Tony looked at Stephen as whispered

“What’s going on?”

“Er… teacher…”

Nothing. Stephen cleared his throat and raised his voice.

“Teacher?”

“Yes, Stephen?”

“Why are you staring at us?”

“Oh, I was? Sorry. I was just… thinking about all the things I have to tell you about the contest. I’m glad you guys are getting along”

Again, the teenagers remained silent.

“Okay, so… this year the contest will be on the NYU, you two will have to be there at 9AM and it supposed to finish somewhere around 4PM”

“God, that’s a lot of time to be surrounded by nerds” Tony said

“You are a nerd” Stephen pointed out.

“But I’m a cool, sexy nerd. Don’t you think?”

Stephen rolled his eyes.

“What have you studied so far?” the teacher asked

“Er… just chemistry and physics”

“Good. I have a list of books you can take out of the library. They’re mostly about history, literature and arts” she said, handing the list to Stephen. “Did you guys meet Bruce?”

“We did” Tony answered, looking at the ceiling

“Good, good. Everything is going well, then”

“Perfectly”

“Okay, so shall we begin with the questions?”

“Bring it on”

 

 

After an hour and half of questions about scientific theories, math problems and chemistry both teenagers look as if they had 5 cups of coffee each. Making their brains work was something they both find quite stimulating and it was even more exciting when they had an equal as a teammate.

“Great, boys! I think that will be it for today”

“Cool” said Stark and within a minute he had his back and was almost at the door. He waited for Stephen outside.

“Shall we go to the library?”

“And you say I’m a nerd, Strange?”

“We could just take the books. I was not suggesting we study right away”

“Oh, and here I am thinking you just wanted an excuse to spend more time with me”

“Should I remind you the only one who loves you here is you?”

“Your eyes don’t lie, Strange”

The taller teen ignored the comment as they walked towards the library. They divided the very long list Mrs. Abbott had gave them and started to look for the books. Stephen found the last book of his piece of the list after ten minutes of going up and down each hall and went to look for Tony.

He found him leaning on a wall talking to a girl. They were both smiling and the girl couldn’t stop laughing and touching Stark’s arm. Strange sighed, exasperated and he approached them.

“Stark, did you find the books?”

“What? Oh, yeah, some, I’m missing the last ones” he said, only looking at Stephen for a second before returning his attention to the girl.

“The ones about Romanticism?”

“Aha. But you know? I’m very romantic myself, so we probably won’t need those” he replied with his look set on the girl. The girl laughed and Stephen felt his anger grow.

“Hey” he said addressing the girl “would you mind excusing us?”

She looked at Stephen and then back at Tony. Since the latter didn’t say anything she walked away.

“Wow, you really know how to break a girl’s heart, Strange”

“Just find the books”

“Why are you so grumpy now? Did you hit your head with one of the bookshelves?”

“Shut up, Stark”

“Jesus”

“You should take this contest more seriously”

“Oh my god! Why do you keep saying that? I heard you the first thousand times you said it!”

“Well, act like it”

“Act like it? What the fuck, Strange? I’ve taken this stupid contest more seriously than some classes that actually matter to me”

“Wow, I’m surprised you even pass your classes if this is the best you can do”

“Fuck you, Strange. If you want those books so badly find them yourself” Tony said before exiting the library.

Stephen cursed under his breath and went back to find the books. He then noticed that some people were staring at him. He felt even more annoyed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter was so short :/ but the good news is I'm already writing the next one and if everything goes well, I'll publish when I get home tomorrow. Anyway, thanks for reading guys, I would appreciate your kudos and especially the comments.


	4. Tony is drunk

On Saturday morning, Stephen was reading a medical journal and having breakfast on his dorm when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it and Tony Stark entered.

“Good morning, doc”

“Stark”

They had decided to put their little fight on the past although neither of them had apologised. Tony had been on his dorm once before so he knew they would be studying on the living room and walked over there immediately. Strange went to the kitchen and grabbed the bowl of cereal he was eating and put it on the small table he had in the living room. Tony started to pull out some books out of his backpack and Stephen noticed they were the books they had fought about 5 days ago. For a second he considered telling Tony he already had those books but decided not to. When his glance met Tony’s they sort of smile.

“Okay, so, what’s today’s plan?” Strange asked

“I have no idea. Usually the one with a plan is you so I figured…” Tony didn’t finish his sentence and the other teen noticed his voice sounded a little different.

“Right, well. I guess we can start with National History”

“Sounds good to me”

“Are you alright?”

“Of course, I’m perfect”

Tony looked for the history book but when he tried to pick it up he couldn’t.

“Oh my god. Stark, are you drunk?”

“Just a little”

“You’re unbelievable” Stephen said, although he wasn’t that angry.

“Just give me some water, it will go away” He said facing the ceiling with his eyes closed.

Stephen went for some water and when he got back he found Tony almost melted on the couch. He actually found the picture quite funny.

“Here”

“Thanks”

“How can you get drunk so early, Stark? It’s not even 11AM”

“Well, it is quite simple actually. You go out on Friday night, you know, like a normal person and then remember you are supposed to meet your very annoying teammate at 10AM the next day. But when you look at your clock you realise it’s already 5AM so you take the wise decision of having fun for another while, go to take a shower to your apartment, eat whatever’s on the fridge and go to your teammate’s dorm on time. See, I was being responsible”

“Yeah, I can see that”

“Give me five minutes and I’ll be fine”

“You do remember I am med student, right?”

“So what? You will take care of me?”

Strange got up again and went to the kitchen. He started to make coffee and then poured some milk on a big glass. He knew this would not be good for the teen’s stomach so he decided to take some fruit and more cereal. It was all he had on his fridge, he had planned to go get groceries after their study session. He took all of that to the living room on a tray. Stark was already asleep on the couch.

“Wake up, idiot”

“Why?”

“’Cause I don’t want you sleeping on my couch?”

“But it is comfy”

“I know that. Now sit and eat something”

Tony opened his eyes and sat. It took him a few seconds to actually notice the tray. He looked genuinely surprised.

“Wow, thanks”

“Whatever, I’m don’t want you to pass out on my couch”

“Just when I thought you were nice”

“I am nice. Now drink your coffee”

Tony smiled and drank the cup in no time.

“Wow, take it easy. You are going to throw up”

“I thought I had to be fast so I won’t pass out on your couch”

Stephen rolled his eyes and sat on the couch in front of Tony’s. He took the history book on the table and started to read. He was good at history too but knew it wasn’t his best knowledge field. He started to put post-its on the pages with the most interesting topics. After selecting five topics to begin with he looked up from the book, only to find Tony Stark staring at him, with the glass of milk in his hand, which he had apparently not even tasted yet.

“What?”

“What?”

“You’re staring at me”

“Oh, sorry, I was… you know, eh… thinking about… history?”

“Right. Well, drink your milk and tell me how you feel in ten minutes”

“You’re a good, doctor” he said, smiling at Stephen.

If Stephen didn’t know any better, he would say Tony was smiling at him the same way he smiled at the girl on the library, flirting. _Well, he is definitely drunk_

“I’m not a doctor yet”

“What is this?” Tony asked after drinking a little milk.

“Oh, right, that’s almond milk”

“Why would you drink almond milk?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh, ‘cause it’s not milk?”

“Yes it is”

“No, it’s not”

“Well, I’m not going to discuss this with you drunk, but if you wish I can give you some articles about your precious cow milk later”

Tony glared at him, but still drank the glass. He then closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep again. Stephen wasn’t sure what to do next, so he decided to let the man sleep for a while so he could study peacefully.  And he did try but his eyes seemed irresistibly attracted to the engineer on the couch. He had never seen Tony Stark, well… quiet.

He smiled without even noticing. Tony looked so relaxed and he decided he liked his hair, which looked soft and a little wet, probably because of the quick shower he took before arriving to the dorm. Stephen was so lost in his thought he jumped and almost fell off the couch when he heard another knock on the door.

“Hey, Wong” Stephen said when he opened the door.

“Hey” his friend replied “I thought you were not here”

“Why?”

“Well, I remembered you said you had to study with Stark this morning and all, but when I got here everything was so quiet I figured you two were out”

“No, we’re both here”

“He’s here?”

“Yes, he’s sleeping on the couch” Stephen said, pointing at the living room and Wong finally entered the room.

“Why is he sleeping?” Wong asked, a little confused, looking at Stark.

“Because he’s drunk”

“Why is he drunk?”

“I don’t know, because he’s Tony Stark?”

“And why is drunk Tony Stark sleeping in your couch?”

“Because I was not going to invite him to my bed, Wong”

“Fair enough” Wong replied with a smile “Anyway, I wanted to see you to tell you we’re planning to go to get some Chinese food for dinner. Are you in?”

“Sure”

“Okay, then I’ll leave you two for… eh… whatever”

Wong was out in a second and Stephen looked at the clock on his wrist. 10:56AM

What?!

Had Stephen been staring at Tony for that long? It had already been more than half an hour since the drunk teen had arrived. He decided they couldn’t waste more time, after all he had better things to do, other exams to study for. He took the history book and let it fall into the millionaire’s stomach. Tony opened his eyes immediately and moaned in pain.

“What the hell?” he said, looking at Stephen.

“Time to get up”

“Jesus, I want nice Strange back”

“What a shame”

“Why can’t you let me sleep?”

“First of all, because you are not supposed to be sleeping, especially not here and second of all, because unlike you, Anthony, I don’t have other people at my disposal to do things for me, so I actually have to get things done on time”

“Did you just…?”

“What?”

“Nothing”

“Well, then get up, when need to study”

Tony got up and walked towards Stephen. There were about three feet of space between them.

“You know what? I think you need a nap too. Why are you so cranky?”

“I already told you”

“So you’re mad at me because I am rich?”

“No, I’m annoyed with your lack of responsibility” he answered, getting closer.

“Oh my god, Stephen! Can you please shut up about responsibility? You sound like…” Tony shut up and looked away from Stephen taking a step backwards. But the taller boy was not going to let him go that easily.

“Like what, Anthony? Like who?” He demanded to know, leaving only one feet of space between them.

“Like…” Tony said, looking directly into the blue eyes of his teammate “No one”

“Are you sure or is alcohol still messing with your brain?”

“You know what? It may be the alcohol”

“What a surprise”

“Well, I am sorry, Strange, but some of us actually have a life”

“Sure, if that’s what you want to call it”

“You wished you had my life” Tony said almost whispering. They were so close right now Stephen could see every detail of Tony’s eyes. Their noses were just an inch apart.

“Er… Stephen?” a voice called from the door.

Both teenagers looked at the door with surprise written on their faces. There was very beautiful girl standing at the door looking just as surprised as the guys. She was holding a couple of heavy books in her arms.

“Christine?” Asked the taller boy. Immediately getting away from Tony, which the millionaire noticed.

“Sorry to interrupt but…”

“No, no, it’s okay” Stephen replied walking towards the girl and helping her with the books.

“Well, Wong said you were but he didn’t mention you had someone…” Christine then realised who was actually standing in front of her “Oh my god, are you Tony Stark?”

Tony looked a little confused with all the things happening around him. He was obviously experiencing lots of mixed feelings. But he was able to put himself together and smiled at the girl.

“Yes, that’s me, nice to meet you” he answered with a smug smile. He was so used to this he did it automatically, even though he was feeling everything but smug.

Christine walked quickly towards him, almost forgetting about Stephen, who rolled his eyes at her reaction.

“Christine Palmer”

Tony wasn’t sure what to do next. He was usually great with women, but in this case he was clueless. Who was she? Was she Stephen’s girlfriend? Why was she there?

“So, what brings you here, Christine?” Stephen asked a little exasperated. Tony thought for a second that he could hear his thoughts.

“Oh, right” she said, facing Strange again. “Well, I was hoping you would help me study for Monday’s exam. I tried to do it on my own but the knowledge refuses to stay on my head”

“Oh, so you’re finally going to admit I’m better than you?” Stephen asked with a cocky smile.

“Just this once” replied Christine with a playful voice “So don’t get used to it”

Stephen smiled and then looked at Tony.

“Er. Well, sure, I’ll help you with that. But right now I’m supposed to study for…”

“No, no” Tony interrupted him “This sounds more important, we still have time to study and you were right, I shouldn’t have come in the first place.”

“What? I didn’t...”

“Oh, are you sure, Mr. Stark?” Christine asked looking a little ashamed.

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m not really in my best shape right now” Tony said, picking up his backpack from the floor “And please don’t call me that. I’m still young”

“Sure” she replied, smiling at him with a spark on her eyes.

“Do you mind if a leave the books?” he said looking at Stephen. There was something different in his eyes, he looked really tired and Strange couldn’t help to feeling bad for him.

“No, but you don’t have to…”

“Good” Tony said not letting the med student finish “I’ll see you later maybe. I… I’ll call you”

“Okay”

“Pleasure to meet you” Tony said to Christine and then looked at Stephen for the last time before leaving and closing the door “Thanks for the coffee and everything”

“No problem”

Tony sighed once he was out and rubbed his eyes with his left hand. There were just too many thoughts in his head and he felt dizzy. He remembered how close he and Stephen were before being interrupted. He needed to get his shit together.


	5. Stephen to the rescue

Stephen didn’t see Tony at all for a week. On Monday Mrs. Abbott had cancelled the meeting due to a teacher’s thing, so Strange decided there was no point in going. On Wednesday, Rhodes had called him from Stark’s phone to let him know they had to do a very important project that day and Tony wouldn’t be available, Stephen understood and decided to study for his own exams.

On Saturday he wasn’t sure if he would see Tony but he made sure he was ready before 10AM. Just as he was stepping outside the bathroom with a towel around his waist his cell phone rang and the name “Stark” appeared on the screen.

“Yes?” he answered

“Hey, Strange”

“Stark”

Stephen could hear some noise on the background and wondered if Banner and the others were there playing videogames like the last time.

“So, I was just calling to let you know… Yes, that’s fine” Tony said, clearly talking to someone else “Sorry, as I was saying, I know we’re supposed to meet today and… wait, no, no, put that over there”

“Are you busy, Stark?”

“Yes” he replied “But give me a minute to get away from this people”

Strange just waited patiently while he heard Tony giving orders to someone, the noise of stuff moving around and people talking everywhere.

“Okay, there. So, what I wanted to say is that I forgot today my company would sponsor some sort of event for the university and since I’m the pretty face of the company I have to be there”

“Fine, I get it”

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be? Your pretty face has responsibilities”

Tony smirked and Stephen cursed himself.

“Did you just call me pretty?”

“W-what? No, I didn’t. I was…”

“Don’t bother, Strange, you have exposed yourself”

“Shut up, Stark”

“Or what?” he asked, teasingly.

“Weren’t you busy or something?”

“You’re right. I’ll call you later” he said before hanging up.

Stephen could not help but smile. Tony was being annoying but at least he was himself and Strange was really relieved. There had been some sort of sadness in Tony’s eyes the last time they saw each other and he felt guilty for it.

Since his morning plans were cancelled he decided to keep himself busy with his books and put some music on.

 

 

It was somewhere around 11PM and Stephen was out with Christine and Wong eating sushi at one of the bars in campus. You could say they were almost addicted to it, since they went there at least once a week. The place was also a karaoke so music was loud and the group had a great time looking at the performances.

“The last guy actually had some talent” Wong said before putting more sushi in his mouth.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it that. But tonight the bar’s pretty low, so he was good” mentioned Christine. “What do you think, Stephen?”

Stephen was lost in his thought pocking the ramen on this bowl with the sticks.

“Err… Stephen? You’re here?”

“Stephen” Wong called moving the boy’s shoulder.

“What? Sorry”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing” he answered way too fast.

“Are you sad because Stark cancelled your date?” Wong teased

“First of all, no and second it wasn’t a date. We’re supposed to study”

“Yeah right” Christine said

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know?” she answered looking at Wong “Last Saturday when I got to his room, it looked like they were about to kiss”

“What?!” Stephen ask, looking offended. “We were arguing”

“Okay, so they were about to kiss each other angrily” Christine replied and Wong laughed.

“Was this the same day I saw Stark sleeping on your couch?”

“Yes” Stephen replied, annoyance in his voice

“Interesting study techniques, Strange”

“Yes, I should try that too” Christine continue “Find a study partner to make out and nap with. No wonder you do so well on exams”

“Shut up, Christine”

“Well, he’s not denying it” Wong continued. Stephen felt like he was being ambushed.

“Of course I’m denying it!”

Wong was about to reply when Stephen’s phone started to ring. He looked at it and saw “Stark” on the screen. He sighed and cursed Tony for picking such a bad time to call. Christine laughed even more when she saw the name on the phone.

“A little late for your study partner to call, don’t you think?”

“Shut up” he hissed before answering “Yes?”

“Strange?”

“Obviously”

“Why do you have Rhodey’s phone?”

“What? This is my phone, Stark”

“Huh...”

There was silence on both ends of the line.

“So, shall I hang up or…?”

“No, no” Tony answered quickly “I like talking to you”

“Okay” Stephen was surprised by the honesty in the other boy’s voice.

The music started to play again and some guy who was clearly drunk started to sing.

“Where are you?”

“Give me a minute” Stephen stood up and ignored the amused looks Christine and Wong were giving him. He went outside the bar and put the phone on his ear again “Sorry, I’m at a karaoke”

“Wow, so you’re out?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Well… I’m not really sure, but I’m guessing it’s late. I thought you’d be asleep by now”

“I am not a grandpa, Anthony”

Tony laughed

“You sure?”

“I am”

There was silence and Stephen could hear Tony humming a song playing in the background.

“Are you drunk?”

“Not enough to be honest”

“Why?”

“I can stand these people for a very limited amount of time. I need my alcohol to get through this things”

“You shouldn’t” Stephen replied without thinking. He was actually getting concerned about his teammate drinking habits.

“What?”

“I said you shouldn’t drink so…”

“No, no, no. Let me stop you right there, Strange. I…” Tony hesitated, not really sure what to say next. Stephen thought maybe he was crossing some limit. After all, he and Tony weren’t even that close.

“Okay, forget I said anything” Strange said after a few more seconds of silence. There was little coldness in his voice.

“See? This is what I mean. I… I need another drink”

“Sure”

“I guess I should let you go to your date. I really want to talk to Rhodes”

_What date?_

“Fine by me”

“Right”

Tony hang up immediately and left Stephen with mix feelings. He was angry with Tony for his childish behaviour but also worried about the fact the millionaire seemed to follow an auto destructive pattern. Either way, he shook his head and went back inside the bar.

“What did your boyfriend want?” Christine teased when he was on his seat again.

“Stop it” he replied, drinking some water.

“Relationship problems?” Wong interfered with a smile on his face, clearly affected by whatever he was drinking.

“He’s drunk. Stark”

“He called you while being drunk? Huh, that means something” Christine said, although not to annoy Stephen anymore. She could see his friend was not entirely fine.

“Yeah. It means alcohol blurs your vision. He wasn’t trying to call me, it was a mistake. He wanted to call Rhodes”

“Sorry”

“Why?”

“Never mind”

“Well, I have to go” Stephen announced after a couple minutes of silence. Wong was too absorbed watching the performers to hear his friend. Christine looked at him with some sadness but nodded. The med student took a couple of dollars out of his wallet and put them on the table. “This should be enough”

“Sure”

“I’ll see you tomorrow”

“Sure”

Stephen walked to his place trying to forget his conversation with Tony. He was tired so he put on his pyjamas and went to bed as quickly as he could. He decided to put off his alarm for the next morning and sleep more for a change. After a couple of minutes he was asleep.

He was dreaming about something when his phone started to ring again. It took him a few seconds to wake up and answer. He didn't even look who was calling

"Yeah?" He said with a sleepy voice

"Stephen?"

"Tony?" Strange sat on his bed and looked at the time "It 2AM"

"Yeah... sso-sorry 'bout that. I just... Wan-wanted to say sorry"

"About what?"

"Earlier. I wasss rude. I shouldn't ha-have"

"Jesus, Tony. How drunk are you?"

"I w-would have to say a lot"

"Where are you?"

"At the f-fund raiser.."

"Why are you still there?"

"Well, I w-wanted to get out. But the photographers are on the front of the b-building, so I took the stairs to leave...from... the back and then I fell so..."

"You fell down the stairs?"

"Y-yes, I said that"

"Are you hurt?"

"To tell you the truth I don't know. I'm pretty insensible right now."

"Dear lord..." Stephen said while getting out of his bed. "Okay, tell me where the fund raiser is"

"At the auditorium"

"Fine. I'll be there in five. Don't move"

"Can't"

Stephen grabbed a jacket before leaving. He found himself running through the campus thinking how stupid could the genius millionaire be. Before reaching the auditorium, he saw that there were indeed some photographers outside. He knew the back entrance and entered through there. He started to climb the stairs and sighed with relief when he saw Tony causally sitting.

"Hey"

Tony looked up and smiled

"Hey, doctor"

Stephen kneeled to get a better look.

"Tony, you're bleeding" he said, with his hand on the other boy's forehead.

"Ups"

"I should take you to the hospital"

"What? No, no, I'm fine"

"Bleeding is opposite of fine"

"Please, Stephen, j-just take me to my place. I have a first aid kit over there. You can pr-practice your stitches with me or whatever you think I need. If we go to the hospital the reporters will find me and Obadiah will kill me"

Stephen knew what the right thing to do was but Tony's eyes were begging him not to take him to the hospital. Although he didn't understood why, he sighed.

"Okay, I'll take you to your place"

"Thanks"

"Put your arm around my shoulders" he instructed, Tony obeyed, grabbing Strange's hand to keep his balance. Stephen hesitated a little before putting his own arm around Tony's waist. They got up and started walking down the stairs.

"I w-wasn't sure you'd come" Tony said after a few steps once they were out.

"Why?"

"'cause I annoy you"

"True as that might be, it's not a good reason to leave you drunk and bleeding"

"Thanks"

"Yeah, you said that already"

"Sorry..."

They kept walking through the campus. Despite being 2AM, it wasn't all that quiet. Some students were hanging out, you could smell the weed.

"Sorry 'bout the other thing too"

"What do you mean?"

"The call, when you're at a ka-karaoke"

"You apologised for that too"

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"Well, anyway you're r-right. I drink a lot. Especially today"

"No shit, Sherlock"

"Wanna know why?"

"Only if you want to tell me"

"Next week would be my father’s 62th birthday" Tony said, sounding more serious than before.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Tony"

"Yeah, me too"

Stephen didn't know what to say. He was so focused on not letting Tony fall he hadn't pay that much attention to what the boy was saying. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even noticed how Tony had intertwined their hands.

"I mean, my father didn't even like me, but my mom... They were so young"

"Your father what?" Stephen blurted out. Not believing what he heard.

"Oh, yeah. Let's say he wasn't my number one fan"

"Why? I mean... How? You're great. And brilliant"

"Wow. A compliment from Stephhhen Strange. The night is g-getting better"

Stephen smiled but the smile faded quickly when he looked at the other boy. Even though Tony was smiling too, his eyes seemed empty.   
  
"I mean it, Tony. You can be a pain in the ass, but you're a great person"

"You don't know me"

Stephen didn't see that coming. However, it was true. They had only known each other for about a month and they certainly hadn't talk about their lives. Conversations were usually about the contest and sarcastic comments.

"I'm trying" he whispered

"What?"  Tony stopped walking and faced Stephen.

"We're here" the teen answered quickly and pointed at Tony's building. Suddenly feeling a little nervous and seriously surprised by what he had just said.

"Oh, good"

They walked in and the same man Stephen had meet weeks ago welcomed them.

"Good morning Mr. Stark"

"Hey, Chuck, what's up?"

"I assume you had a good night, sir"

"Not exactly, Chuck, b-but this guy saved me from dying of bo-boredom"

"I'm glad" he looked at Stephen and grinned yet his smiled disappeared when he looked again at Tony. "Are you bleeding, sir?"

"Oh, right. But don't worry, my friend here is a d-doctor. He'll take care of it"

"Oh, I see you two are friends now" he replied, smiling at Stephen. The boy smiled back looking deeply uncomfortable. The man then noticed the intertwined hands of the teenagers and his smile widened. "Well, I guess you better go upstairs right away, that injury looks bad. I'm here if you need me"

"Sure. Let's go, Stephen"

The boys got to the elevator and then to Tony's apartment. Stephen waited but Tony seemed clueless, just staring at the door.

"Are you planning to open?"

"Oh, right, the k-keys"

"Where are they?"

Tony let go off Strange and looked at him with a playful smile.

"In my p-pocket"

"Well, then get them"

"Oh, come on, Strange. Don't be ssshy"

Stephen looked confused for a moment and then rolled his eyes.

"Tony, I haven't got all night. Open the door."

"Wow, y-you're bossy"

Tony laughed and opened the door. They entered and Tony turned on the lights. It was the first time all night Stephen could get a good look of Tony. If it weren't to the trace of blood on his forehead, Stephen had to admit he looked really good.

"Where's the kit?"

"Bedroom's bathroom"

"Okay"

Tony put his arm around Stephen again and led the way to his room. Once they got there, Strange told him to sit on the edge of the bed while he got the kit and a chair. He sat in front of Tony and started to clean his wound carefully.

"You have w-wonderful eyes" Tony said after a while.

"Thanks" replied the med student. Too focused on his work. "Please stay still"

"I bet your girlfriend tells you all the time"

"What girlfriend?"

"You know. Th-that one"

"Well, I don't know who you're talking about but I don't have a girlfriend. So no, no one talks to me about my eyes"

"They're pretty"

"Yeah, I got that"

"You don't think my eyes are pretty?"

"What?"

"My eyes"

"Oh, yeah, sure. They're beautiful or whatever" Tony smiled and looked like he was about to pass out "Okay, I'm done"

"Wow that was fast"

"It wasn't that bad" Stephen replied.

"Th-thank you" Tony said as the stood up. The only problem was he had done it too quickly. He lost his balance and Stephen tried to hold him but failed and they both fell on the bed. The med student on top of the engineer.

"Stark, you idiot"

"Sorry, doc"

Stephen began to stand but stopped when he looked at Tony. The look on his eyes was very intense. Strange had never seen the college playboy looked so pure. _He indeed has beautiful eyes_. Stephen found himself getting closer to Tony's face. In that moment Stark's eyes widened

"Bathroom!" He yelled

"What?"

"Bathroom!" He insisted

"Oh"

Strange stood up immediately and help the other teen up. Tony almost ran to the bathroom and Stephen heard him throw up. The med student sat on the bed, feeling his heart rate going up. Had he... had he tried to kiss Tony Stark? No, no, he was just tired. His mind was messing with him.

He was so lost on his thoughts he didn't hear when Tony came out.

"Well, that was embarrassing" the millionaire said as he took off his tie.

"What?"

"You know, throwing up. Sorry you had to hear that" 

"Oh, yeah. No problem" 

Stephen got up as Tony finished to unbutton his shirt. 

"Wow. Wait, I'll leave" 

"You're leaving?" He asked as he took off his shirt. Stephen eyes were now glued to the floor. 

"You thought I was staying?"

"Well. It's late, I wasn't suggesting for you to sleep on my bed, Strange. You can take the couch" 

"The campus is safe. I'll just walk to my dorm"

"Alright. Thanks again"

"Sure" 

Strange left the building pretty fast. He didn't even bother to say goodbye to Chuck. This time he couldn't fall asleep  as easily. His mind was filled with thoughts and feelings. He try to ignore it all but his brain refused to think about anything else. However, he eventually feel asleep and when he did, a smile appeared on his face.


	6. Feelings

Tony woke up the next morning feeling like shit. Someone was ringing the bell and Tony felt like a hammer was hitting his head repeatedly. He got out bed and noticed he was wearing nothing but his boxers. He looked around and saw a few clothes laying on the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, trying to remember how he got home. Nothing. The last thing he remembered was not being able to contact Rhodes and the party being very boring.

The bell rang again and he walked very slowly towards the door. Not even bothering asking who it was, he opened the door. Rhodey and Pepper appeared and entered the apartment.

“Hey, Tony, are you okay?” Rhodes

“Never been better” was the answer he got.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“You called me like 200 times last night”

“Yeah, it’s good to know you actually check your phone. Hours late, but still”

“Sorry, buddy. I was with a girl last night”

“OMG, Tony! What happened to your head?” Interfered Pepper

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

“You’ve got a bruise” she said, putting her hands on his head to get a better look.

“Really?”

“How did you get home last night?”

“Don’t know”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because you specifically ordered me not to. After the last party”

“Great. All these years and just now you decide to listen to me”

Rhodey went to Tony’s room to get him a sweatshirt and some pants. They walked to the kitchen. Rhodey and Pepper started to prepare a proper hangover breakfast for their friend. Meanwhile, Tony just sat there, looking like he had come back from the dead.

“Don’t remember anything?”

“No. I… I’m trying. I mean… I remember calling you and you not answering. And I remember drinking” said the teenager with his head in his hands.

“Obviously”

“I… I think I called Stephen by mistake…”

“Who?” Pepper asked while pouring orange juice in a glass.

“His study partner” explained Rhodes.

“I think I got mad at him. Although I can’t remember why. I tried to call you for a while but got nothing so I just drank and tried to hide from the ugly people”

“Sounds like something you’d do”

“And then…” Tony tried really hard to remember “I got to the stairs. Yeah! ‘Cause I wanted to avoid the photographers”

“So you got here alone? Walking?”

“I don’t think so”

The millionaire stood up and grabbed the phone in the kitchen he dialled and waited. Five seconds later, the other person answered.

“Good morning, Mr. Stark”

“Hey, Chuck, what’s up?”

“I’m glad to hear you feel better”

“Yeah, thanks. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Anything, sir”

“Last night. When I got here, was I alone?”

“Certainly not, sir”

“You know who brought me?”

“Yes, sir. I believe you called him Stephen. He was here a few weeks ago to study”

“Strange? Huh, that’s… interesting”

“He brought you here around 2:30 in the morning. You were quite drunk and needed him to keep your balance. You two got to the elevator and ten minutes later he basically ran out of here”

“Huh…” Tony was trying to picture that but failed. His brain still refused to help him out.

“Is everything alright, sir?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. It was fine”

“Ok, have a good day, Mr. Stark”

“Thanks, you too, Chuck”

Tony felt a little confused. How did Strange end up carrying him to his apartment? Was he the one who undressed him? Did he take care of the injury in his head? Too many questions for his mind, the headache was getting worse.

“Well” Tony announced putting the phone on its place “Now I know how I got here”

“How?” Pepper asked

“Strange brought me”

“Really? Wow, I thought he didn’t even liked you”

“Yeah… guess we were wrong”

Tony ate what his friends had made in silence, he didn’t want to think too much. Rhodey and Pepper talked about the mess Tony was with alcohol and who would be in charge of him next time he went out. He laughed a little with the comments but began to feel exhausted as well.

“I’m going to take a shower”

“Good, you need one”

“And then I’m… wait, what? What do you mean?”

“I mean you smell”

“Oh, right, I think I threw up”

“Yes, I guess it’s because of that and all the alcohol”

“Well, whatever, I’m gonna take a shower and then take a nap. Thanks for everything, guys”

“Fine, we’ll just have breakfast and leave. We just wanted to make sure you were still alive” Pepper said smiling at Tony

“I am, thanks for the concern” He replied getting up and walking towards his bedroom.

“You better be kind to that Strange guy now” she said as he left

“Yeah, dealing with you all drunk and smelly isn’t easy. We should know”

Tony kept walking but felt his cheeks blushed with embarrassment. He hadn’t thought about that. He entered his bathroom and start undressing. He remember his clothes from last night laying all over the floor and wondered if Stephen had done that. His heart beat faster at the thought but knew it hadn’t happen. Since he was quite aware he was attracted to the guy he thought of something even worse. Had he undressed in front of Stephen? Is that why he left so urgently? Had he said something to scare him off? That seemed logical.

_Oh no._

Stark covered his face with his hands as the water started to wash him.

_Fantastic, Stark. You fucked things up. Again._

When he closed his eyes to remove the shampoo from his hair he had a flashback. Stephen with his arm around him. Stephen taking care of whatever had happened to his head. Stephen on top of him. Stephen’s face getting closer. Vomit. Stephen looking at the floor while Tony was standing shirtless. Stephen leaving.

_Well, at least I didn’t get naked in front of him. Entirely_

Tony felt deeply embarrassed with the whole thing. He didn’t know what to do. Would Stephen be mad at him? Should he call to say thanks or should he wait to their next meeting? His head kept hurting as the questions continue.

_Well… He did take care of my head… maybe HE would call? To check on me?_

Tony was actually right, but unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t know. Stephen had spent the last 30 minutes deciding if he should call Tony or not. A part of him just wanted to know that he was alright but he was a little angry with himself for caring so much. He refused to acknowledge his feelings, he didn’t want to think about what had _almost_ happened. But then he thought maybe Tony would be happy to hear from him? He took a deep breath, unsure of what he would say, and dialled Stark’s number.

Meanwhile, on the millionaire’s apartment, Rhodey and Pepper had just finished their breakfast and were about to leave. Pepper went to Tony’s room to let him know they were heading out but he has still on the shower so she knocked on the door

“We’re leaving, Tony”

“Okay” answered him, his voice sounding distracted.

Pepper was about to leave the room when Stark’s phone started to ring. Pepper found it on Tony’s bed and read “Cute doctor” on the screen. She smiled and answered.

“Yes?”

Silence

“Hello?” Pepper insisted

“Hello… Is Tony there?”

“Oh, sorry, he’s in the shower right now. And he might be busy for a couple of hours” Pepper said, remembering his friend wanted to sleep. She didn’t even know who was calling so it seemed like a good thing to do “Do you want me to give him a message?”

“No” the man answered fast “Thanks”

Pepper thought the guy had been a little rude for hanging up like that but she didn’t mind. Whoever had called, would probably try to reach Tony later. Stephen was angry again, of course Tony would have found someone else to take care of him. After all, there were hundreds of girls and guys on campus who loved him, he could easily have whoever he wanted. Stephen then decided he wouldn’t call Tony at all, we would just wait for their next meeting to come and forget all about it. A part of him knew he was being a bit ridiculous but the fact that his anger could only mean one thing made him feel even worse.

On the other hand, when Tony got out of the shower he checked his phone and was a little disappointed to see Strange had made no contact. He was tempted to call him, but figured he had already bother him enough. He took a nap carry on with his life.

On Monday, they saw each other again when they arrived to Mrs. Abbott classroom. Tony was a little shy and whispered “Thanks” when he sat next to Stephen, who ignored him. Tony felt worse and didn’t talk to him for the rest of the session. Mrs. Abbott was concerned to see such change in the team dynamic but felt maybe it wasn’t her business. When it was over, Tony try to apologise again.

“Strange, I’m really sorry”

“About what?”

“Well… I guess I shouldn’t have called you… You didn’t have to do all that for me”

Stephen was trying to feel angry, but looking at Tony’s eyes made it impossible. He could tell the playboy was sorry and it made him feel guilty. He realised he hated to be the reason there was some sadness in Stark’s eyes and that he had clearly overreacted. Again.

“It’s fine. You needed help. And... I guess we’re friends”

Tony smiled

“Yes, we are”

“Well, then. Stop it with the puppy eyes, idiot”

Tony couldn’t help to laugh at that.

“Why? Are they distracting you?”

“Shut up” Stephen replied, smiling. But then he realised Tony was close and that the conversation was heading somewhere he didn’t want to. He was happy to see Tony smile but there had to be some limits.

“I’ll see you on Wednesday” he said already heading to his dorm.

“Oh, yeah, about that” Tony said, with guilt all over his face as Stephen faced him again “I won’t be able to make it. My company has another thing… I’m supposed to fly to Washington and do stuff”

“Okay” Stephen said thinking that it would be even better for him to spend some time far from the other teen. “I’ll see you on Saturday”

“Sure”

“Oh” Stephen remember something “Could you come by around midday? There’s a very big event on med school this Friday, I’m guessing it will finish late”

“Sure, no problem”

“Good”

Stephen and Tony continued with their lives for the next few days without a problem. He studied with Christine for their exams and even went with her to buy a new dress for Friday’s party. It was supposed to be a talk between some of the most important medical figures in the USA and then there would be a party in which students would be able to talk with them and create some connections. Christine could not shut up about it for the whole week, but Stephen was glad to have his mind busy, ‘cause when it wasn’t, it would always end up thinking about the same person.

Tony on the other hand, spent his days doing projects for his classes, traveling to Washington, meeting more generals and captains who showed their appreciation for the weapons Stark Industries provided.  When he got back to New York he kept thinking about the event Stephen had told him about and how he probably owed the guy after taking care of him that night. Again, the image of Stephen’s face getting closer to his came back to his mind. He couldn’t tell if that had actually happened or if he had imagined that due to the alcohol. Either way, Tony was intrigued and wondered how different that night could have been if he hadn’t run to the bathroom to throw up.

On Friday night, the millionaire playboy smiled widely at his own reflection. He was excited to surprise Stephen and see his reaction. He didn’t have a plan other than showing up and try to find what was going on in his teammate’s mind. He looked at himself one more time before leaving his apartment. He was surprised to find his palms a little sweaty. He was nervous.

_Nothing alcohol can’t fix_

When he arrived he made sure to do it subtly. He didn’t want to be the centre of attention before he could surprise Stephen. The party was nice and elegant, everybody was showing off their best clothes. There was some jazz playing on the background and Tony felt amused when he noticed some students standing behind a very important doctor without knowing what to say or how to get his attention, since he was currently chatting with one of the teachers.

When he finally saw Stephen he was speechless. The tall med student was wearing a beautiful suit with a shirt that made wonders to his eyes. Tony then realised that his hands were getting sweaty again. He went to the bar and ordered a drink to give him a little courage. When he got back he could see there at least three girls around Stephen. They were clearly flirting with him. Tony smiled and decided it was time for him to do his magic.

Meanwhile, Stephen was cursing Christine for abandoning him. He could see her talking to Doctor Schmitt on the other side of the room. Stephen didn’t mind the girls flirting with him and he may have even responded more enthusiastically had he been at a normal party. But this was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to meet surgeons he admired and the girls were not helping. He was about to excuse himself when a hand laid on his forearm and a familiar voice called him.

“Stephen! I’ve been looking for you. There’s someone I want you to meet”

Stephen turned to face Tony and he was about to say something when he noticed how well the playboy looked. The words got stuck on his throat and couldn't give a proper reply.

"Hello, ladies" Tony said to the girls around Stephen "I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse us for a moment"

He took Stephen's arm and dragged him far from the women. They went to the bar and Tony ordered two drinks, he handed one over to the med student and smiled.

"What are you doing here?" the taller teen finally managed to say.

"Saving your ass. You looked like you wanted to get away from them so I helped"

"That doesn't answer my question"

"Fine. I'm here because I'm Tony Stark" he said with a smug smile. Stephen rolled his eyes

"So?"

"So I get invited to every important event on campus. Especially if my company has something to do with it"

"Your company makes weapons"

"True. But we also make new technology. The idea is to protect the soldiers out there and improve Americans’ life right here"

"You're telling me you will improve medicine?"

"I could"

They smiled at each other.

“So… there was someone you wanted me to meet?”

“That’s right. You told me this night was about making connections”

“Yeah, but I’m supposed to do that on my own”

“Oh, you will. I’ll leave the charming/impressing part to you, I’ll just make introductions easier. We’re a friends, remember? We’re supposed to help each other”

“Okay, I guess you’re right”

Before Tony said anything else, there were a few flashes around them.

“Tony Stark!”

“Hey” Tony immediately replied to the man holding the camera and recorder. “That’s me”

“We didn’t know you were coming, sir”

“Well, you know how I like surprises”

Tony grabbed Stephen’s arm and smiled at the cameras a little bit more. Stephen had absolutely no idea what to do, a few heads had turned to face them, everyone apparently surprise and pleased with the presence of the millionaire. Normally Stephen would’ve avoid the cameras but feeling Tony’s warmth made him feel more confident so he smiled.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have an appointment with some doctors”

“Sure” the photographer replied with the biggest smile, looking at Tony like he was his superhero. Stephen thought it would be a bit hard not to have the biggest ego in the room with people looking at you like that all the time.

“Okay, so. I realised I don’t know what kind of doctor do you want to be in the future.” Tony said as they walked through the room.

“Is that supposed to be a philosophical question?”

 “Would be an interesting answer to hear, but you know that’s not what I mean”

“Fine… I want to be a surgeon. Probably a neurosurgeon or maybe cardio… I haven’t decided yet”

“Good. I know who we’ll meet first”

Tony led him across the crowd until they were in front of an old couple talking to each other. Stephen realised they were Dr. Derek Anderson and Dr. Kathleen Park, both known in the surgical world for their innovating methods and their long careers filled with awards. They were among the 5 people Stephen admired the most.

“Dr. Anderson, Dr. Park, how are you?” Tony said. Both doctors turned and a smile immediately showed up in their faces.

“Tony, my boy!” the old man replied hugging Tony.

“We thought you wouldn’t come” said Dr. Park also hugging the millionaire and kissing him in both cheeks.

“I wanted to surprise you”

Dr. Park laughed and then turned to Stephen.

“And who is this nice gentlemen beside you, Tony?”

“Stephen Strange” the med student replied trying to hide his nervousness “It’s a pleasure to meet you”

“He is a friend of mine, probably the brightest med student around here”

“Is that so?” Dr. Anderson asked Stephen with a smile and shaking the teen’s hand.

“Well, I…” Strange didn’t know what to say but he would have liked to punch Tony.

“Oh, don’t worry, Stephen. Derek enjoys messing with people. I’m sure you’re great. After all, Tony is not the kind of boy who gives compliment like that just because”

“True” Tony replied and winked at Stephen. “Also, my friend here wants to be surgeon. I’ll go get you two some drinks, meanwhile you can discuss all that medical stuff you know”

The playboy disappeared before any of them could say anything. Stephen wasn’t sure if he wanted to kill him or kiss him for what he was doing. _Wait, what? No, no kissing. I… I just want to thank him. He is a good friend._

“That boy is something, don’t you think, Stephen?” Dr. Anderson said.

“He is” he replied with a smile

“How long have you been friends for?” Dr. Park inquired.

“Er… not that long actually. We just met a couple of months ago”

“Well, I’m glad he’s making new friends”

Stephen feel confused with that statement. This was Tony Stark they were talking about, he basically only needed to smile to have 10 new friends wherever he went. Still, Dr. Park seemed to really mean it.

“Yeah. He is a good friend to have”

“Sure, it’s not every day you meet someone who is just as brilliant as he is humane”

Stephen felt puzzled again.

“You don’t know what we’re talking about?” Dr. Anderson asked when he saw Stephen’s expression.

“I guess not, sir”

“Typical Tony” said the woman with a kind smile “He doesn’t even tell his friends about it. But you know what? He is a wonderful person behind all that theatre. Last year he funded our research on genetic engineering out of his own money”

“And he also funded one of my projects a couple of years ago so we could provide children in third world countries with proper medical care and a teaching program”

“Wow, I… I didn’t know that”

“Yes, well. He did it all without any press nor using his company’s name. Something about an Obadiah guy not liking what he was doing”

“But he didn’t care and did it anyway. I’ve never liked that Obadiah, but Tony considers him family, so…”

Stephen was amazed with all the things he was hearing. Every time he had heard the name Tony Stark on campus before meeting him were usually about his big ego, or how much money did he have. Something warm spread across the med student’s heart.

“Wonderful guy, isn’t he?”

“Yes. Yes he is” Stephen replied looking in the direction where Tony had disappeared a couple of minutes ago. He smiled, after all, it wasn’t that hard to believe how amazing Tony was.

The doctors noticed the look on the student’s eyes, then shared a glance between each other and smiled.

“Anyway, I guess Tony didn’t want us to talk about him. He said you want to be a surgeon, right?” Dr. Anderson said pulling Stephen out of his thoughts.

“Oh, yes, I do”

“Well, tell us more about that”

 

 

 

Tony looked at Stephen for a little while before rejoining the group. The med student looked confident and charming and the two doctors were clearly enjoying the conversation. The engineer felt happy for finally helping his teammate, returning some of the favours he owed him.

“You seem to be having fun” Tony said while handing everyone a drink “What are you talking about?”

“Our medical stuff” replied Dr. Anderson with a smile and thanking Tony for the drink.

“You were right, Tony. Your friend is amazing, quite a promising guy”

“I’m glad to hear that” Tony said looking directly at Stephen, whose eyes for some reason seem warmer than 5 minutes ago. “Cheers”

“Cheers” the three of them repeated while bumping their glasses.

Tony and Stephen looked at each other while drinking. Tony was almost a hundred percent sure Stephen wanted him too when suddenly the taller teen turned to face the doctors and cleared his throat.

“Oh, Christine, come!” Stephen called his friend who happened to be walking by. Christine looked confused but that changed as soon as she saw who his best friend was hanging out with and the brightest smile appeared on her face “Dr. Park, Dr. Anderson, this Christine Palmer, also a med student and almost as good as me” he joked in an attempt to think of something else other than how beautiful Tony Stark’s eyes were. Looking directly at them had made him had a flashback were he carried Tony to his apartment.

Tony was surprised with the sudden change but he at least felt relieved he hadn’t introduced her as his girlfriend.

“It’s an honour to meet you, doctors” Christine replied while shaking their hands.

They chatted for a while quite happily. Christine impressed the doctors just as much as Stephen had. After the doctors left to talk with other people, Tony offered to introduce them to some other surgeons he knew. Stephen and Christine accepted and spent the night shaking hands and charming people. Every time Tony introduce someone, whoever he or she was, they all seemed to love him or at least respect him. Stephen and Christine were deeply surprised with this discovery. However, Tony’s disappointment was growing as he simply couldn’t get rid of Christine. Not that he didn’t like her, of course he did, she was really smart and apparently Stephen’s best friend, so it was good for Tony to get to know her, but this was not what he had planned.

At first, Tony thought Christine was just happy to meet the best doctors and surgeons, after all that’s what the night was for. But then, even she made it clear that she wanted to give the boys some space, Tony was glad but Stephen didn’t let her go. And that’s how Tony had ended up with another drink in his hand thinking maybe he had made a mistake, and Stephen was not interested in him that way. His ego was hurt, not that he would ever admit it, and so when he finally ran out of people to introduce, he decided to have some fun of his own.

“Well, children, I hope you have a good night” he announced before drinking the rest of the glass content.

“Thank you, so much, Mr. St-, Tony. It was wonderful!” Christine said and looked like she was about to hug him but decided it was better not to.

“Yeah, my pleasure, Christine. I’m glad you enjoyed it”

“So, you’re leaving?” Stephen asked. Was that shyness in his voice?

“Oh, not at all. I just figured I should leave you two alone and have some fun, you know, dancing and stuff” he replied with a wink. Stephen was clearly not amused. The was not even a dance floor.

Both Stephen and Christine seemed confused with the “leave you two alone” comment but Tony didn’t give them time to reply. He kissed Christine’s cheek and waved at Stephen.

“I’ll see you soon, teammate”

Tony got to the bar and ordered another whiskey. He looked around and found a couple of girls looking at him with adoration. He smiled and decided he wasn't in the mood for anything besides flirting and maybe making out. He got to the girls and started using his well-known charming skills.

Stephen was relieved for about five seconds. He was surprised when Tony left them but made no effort to make him stay. He had put all his energy in not looking at him during the whole event. He tried to focus in every conversation with the doctors Tony introduced, but couldn’t help to stare at the playboy from time to time when he thought no one noticed. Except that Christine had noticed and was getting a bit exasperated with the way his friend was handling his crush. She knew Tony wanted to be with Stephen and she tried to leave five times but Stephen would always find an excuse to make her stay.

Now, Stephen watched Tony blatantly flirt with some students and he was getting annoyed. He held the glass in his hand tightly and looked at the floor.

“Well, it’s your fault, you know?”

Stephen looked up with confusion and Christine rolled her eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, he was giving you his entire attention throughout the evening, but you decided to ignore him. Now he’s just having fun”

“I don’t know what you mean. I don’t want his attention”

“Yeah, right and I don’t want to be surgeon”

“So, what do you mean? You think I’m jealous?”

“I’m glad you see it as well”

“I’m not jealous. That’s ridiculous”

“Then why are you looking at him like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to go over there and kiss him so the other girls go away”

Stephen almost choked on his drink.

“I think the alcohol is doing things to your head. ‘Cause that’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard”

“You know? I’m not sure if you’re pretending or if you actually are this stupid”

“I’m not stupid”

“Well, you seem oblivious to the fact that you clearly have a crush on Tony”

“I don’t-“

“Fine” Christine interrupted him. Getting tired of the conversation “I’m going to dance and maybe meet some other doctors. Good luck with your crush”

“I said I don’t—“

“Later”

Christine disappeared into the crowd leaving Stephen with a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked at Tony and the girls again. Maybe he couldn’t find a good explanation as to why that sight made him feel annoyed but he was sure it wasn’t jealousy. He was used to this by now, Tony could flirt with anyone. It didn’t matter if it was a student, a teacher, a waiter, his doorman, he would flirt effortlessly. Stephen was about to get another drink when he saw a girl with red hair approach Tony. She looked fantastic and she didn’t act like Tony was the best thing to ever happen to human race. She talked to him, made him smile and stop him drinking.

_Who is she?!_

 

 

“Why are you here, Pepper?”

“You really thought we were going to leave you alone after the last time?”

“What do you mean? I managed it wonderfully”

“Yeah, right” she replied with a smile “Lucky for you, that Stephen guy answered the phone”

“Yeah…”

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I’m fine. Things didn’t go as planned” 

“And why are you here anyway? This is a med school event”

“I’m aware. I just… wanted to surprise?”

“Wait. Isn’t Stephen a med student?”

“Yeah…”

“You’re here for him?”

“Er…”

“Where is he? Can I meet him?”

“Wow. Take it easy. I don’t know where he is, he is probably with Christine somewhere”

“Christine?”

“Let’s talk about something else right now, please?”

“Sure”

“You look great by the way”

“Thanks”

A new song came up and Tony had an idea. He didn’t want to think why he was so disappointed with how things turned out but he really wanted to have some fun and since Pepper wouldn’t let him drink anymore…

“Wanna dance?” Tony asked as he held out his hand.

“There’s no dance floor here, Tony. It’s not a gala or something”

“Who cares? The only thing that’s necessary for dancing is music”

Pepper looked around and after a couple of seconds she grabbed his hand. Tony smiled and guided her to the centre of the room. The people who recognised him started to move to give him space.

“See? No problem”

Pepper laughed and places her arms around Tony’s shoulders. People, as usual whenever she was with Tony, stared at them. Photographers appeared out of nowhere and within two minutes, there were five more couples dancing. She smiled at Tony until she saw someone behind his shoulder. There was a very tall and handsome guy looking directly at them. He looked shocked and kind of sad but the second he noticed Pepper was looking at him his eyes turned into ice before looking away.

“Er… Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Who’s that guy?”

“Who?”

Tony turned and his eyes met Stephen’s before the taller teen disappeared into the crowd.

“Stephen?”

“That was Stephen?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Well, he was staring at us and he looked… I don’t know… jealous?”

Tony stopped dancing.

“What?”

“Jealous. He honestly looked like one of those cartoons. I could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears”

“No, that’s ridiculous” Tony laughed, not really amused. “Must have been your imagination”

“I don’t think so”

Tony sighed and then shake his head.

“I think I’ve been at this thing too long. Wanna go to my apartment and have some pizza?”

“Happily”

“Okay. Let’s go”

 

 

Stephen couldn’t look at them any longer. He went out, almost like he was trying to escape, when Tony looked at him. He took a deep breath once he was outside and tried to organise his thoughts. He had been surprised when the girl showed up. He was surprised with the way she talked to Tony and how relaxed and happy Tony seemed to be around her. He was even more surprised, and not in the good way, when they started dancing, immediately everyone looked at them. And the second he saw her whispering something to his ear, him smiling, he lost it. His blood was boiling inside him. But then Tony turned and looked at him with surprise and everything became clear.

Stephen sighed as the realisation came. He was jealous. He was unbelievably jealous. He wouldn’t have a problem with Tony flirting, or laughing or dancing… as long as it was with him.

“You have to be kidding me” he said to no one in particular, facing the sky with his eyes closed.

He was falling for Tony Stark. Of course he was, how could he not? Tony was funny, brilliant, kind and beautiful. Stephen wondered how long had he been in love with him… Now he understood Christine’s frustration when he refused to acknowledge his feelings. It was so fucking obvious now.  

Stephen rubbed his eyes with both hands. Still not believing how stupid he had been with the whole thing. He cursed himself. Tony had been so nice the entire night and Stephen had been afraid to be left alone with him that he had dragged his best friend with them. And then there was the red hair girl…

His head was filled with too many thoughts. And for once, he decided to deal with this situation the way any other college teen would have. Alcohol. He got to the nearest bar outside campus and he drank like he had never done before. By 1AM he was mumbling some stuff, not sure if he would be able to get to his dorm in his current state. Luckily for him, a very amused Bruce Banner had noticed when the med student entered the bar. He had obviously listened to must of what Stephen had said and to prevent any further humiliation, he decided to help the guy. He paid for Stephen’s drinks and helped him get to his place.

Of course, the next morning, Bruce arrived to Tony’s apartment like usual, but with a bigger smile, still deciding what he should do with the information he had. Stephen on the other hand, could not remember much. Except the fact that he was hopelessly in love with Tony Stark.


	7. Closer

 

Tony woke up in his bedroom around 10AM. He got up and went to the kitchen to get some coffee. Happy was still sleeping on the couch and snoring a little bit. When he got to the kitchen Rhodey was already there eating some cereal and fruit.

“Hey, sleeping beauty, how are you?”

“How can you get up so early? It’s not normal. Probably not healthy either”

“Let’s not talk about healthy habits in this house, alright?”

“Fine” he replied with a smile.

After Tony and Pepper left the event, they got to his apartment and ordered some pizza. About half an hour after, Rhodey and Happy arrived to play videogames and stuff. Pepper left around 12AM but the boys decided to stay. Happy and Rhodey bet who got to sleep on the guests bedroom, and judging by the snores coming from the living room it was easy to assume who won.

“Are you doing anything today?” Rhodey asked

“Yeah, I’m meeting Stephen around 12PM. I’ll call him later to check”

“To tell you the truth I’m surprised with the commitment you have with this contest thing”

“Hey! I can commit”

“I know. But it is usually with things you care about. This contest is supposed to be a punishment, everyone already knows you’re a genius”

“Aw… thanks, darling”

“Oh, forget it. I’m just glad for you”

“Can you two shut up?! Some of us are trying to sleep!” Happy yelled from the living room.

“Do you want me to go cuddle with you?” Tony replied already heading to the couch.

“Stay away from me!” Happy said, immediately getting up. Tony laughed as the both entered the kitchen while Rhodey was finishing his breakfast.

“Why are you up so early?”

“Well, this guy here has a study session in a couple hours and I apparently am a weird and unhealthy human being that doesn’t think 10AM is early”

“Weird indeed”

“What do you want to have for breakfast?” Tony asked, already dialling the number of the building’s kitchen.

“Mmm… I want some chocolate pancakes with whipped cream and some vanilla ice cream”

“You are so going to die before you’re 60” was Rhodey’s comment.

“Whatever”

Tony ordered that and some eggs and fruit for him. He usually enjoyed cooking but he wasn’t feeling like it today, especially considering that there was almost no food in his place. He sat down next to Happy and before he could drink more coffee the doorbell rang.

“Huh… that’s… faster than usual”

“Maybe they had it ready since Happy always wants the same”

Tony considered that possibility as he walked to the door. But it wasn’t their breakfast on the other side of the door, but Bruce Banner.

“Brucey! You’re here!” Tony greeted him as he step aside to let his friend in “I sent you a text last night. Never replied”

“Sorry. My phone died and forgot to charge it”

“It’s okay. Rhodes and Happy stayed here. You want some breakfast?”

“No, I already ate”

“What is wrong with you morning people?”

“Sorry”

“Hey Bruce” Rhodey welcomed him

“You are not my breakfast” Happy said with an angry voice.

“Good observation” Banner replied with a smile.

They talked for a while before their breakfast arrived. Rhodes had some homework to do. Bruce had exams coming up and Happy was supposed to meet some friends at the library at 2PM for a work project. It was funny how they were close friends but studied different things. Rhodey and Tony met when they were around 13 in junior high, Happy became friends with them half way through high school when both him and Tony ended up in detention for stopping a bully. Bruce was the only one who joined their group in college. He was shy, a real genius and certainly young for everything he had achieved already. Making friends wasn’t his strong suit but he had connected with Tony almost instantly, the playboy introduced him to the other guys and ever since they had become good friends.

When Tony finished eating, Banner brought up the subject he had wanted to talk about since he arrived.

“So, Tony, how was your night?”

“Oh. You know, not bad. I was at a party but Pepper rescued me a little before 11PM”

“What party?”

“Well, now that you mention it, it wasn’t really a party. It was some weird event of med school. I showed up for a couple hours and talked with some old friends”

“Oh, yeah, I heard. Some surgeons, right?”

“Yeah… wait, what do you mean you’ve heard?”

“Strange mentioned it” he said drinking some orange juice he found in the fridge. He studied Tony’s reaction

“Strange? You talked to Stephen?”

“Yeah”

“When?”

“Last night”

“Where?”

“At some bar outside campus. I don’t remember the name”

“So he was at the bar after the event?”

“Well, he surely went to no event after that. He was hammered”

“WHAT?!” Tony yelled, making Happy jump and Rhodey started to pay attention to the conversation “Stephen was drunk? Stephen even drinks?!”

“Yeah, he sure was and he sure does”

“And… what... I mean… how?”

Rhodey looked confused, Happy annoyed and Bruce amused with Tony’s reaction.  Meanwhile, the owner of the apartment was thinking about everything that had happened the other night. The last time he had seen Stephen was when the other boy disappear into the crowd when he was dancing with Pepper. Was that the moment he went to the bar? What about Christine?

“Was he alone?” Tony asked, looking straight at Bruce

“Yes”

_Interesting_

Okay. So he was alone, that was good right? At least it meant he hadn’t spent the night with Christine. Wait. Why was he even thinking about this? Stephen didn’t look interested in him at all during the party. Tony was just creating scenarios to make himself feel better. Reading the pessimistic expression on his friend’s face, Bruce decided to go further.

“He mentioned you. A lot”

“What?” Tony looked at him with disbelief, but then his eyes lit up “He did?”

“Yeah. Or at least I think he did. By the time I intervened, he was babbling a lot. But I’m pretty sure he said ‘Tony’ a couple of times”

The engineer could not believe was he was hearing. _It’s just… well, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything…_ He didn’t want to get his hopes up already, so he stopped looking at the distance and sat closer to Bruce.

“Okay, buddy. I’m going to need more details”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to know everything. From the moment Stephen walked into the bar till you last saw him”

Rhodey and Happy exchanged a glance. What was up with Tony and this guy? Bruce smiled before replying.

“Well. I was sitting on a table in the corner, as usual, when he came in. Normally I wouldn’t have noticed him, but he was wearing a tux and everything, fancy clothes for a bar. I thought I would go and say hi, but he looked very busy with his own thoughts, he was constantly shaking his head and murmuring stuff, so I figured I should leave him alone”

“Who’s Stephen?” Happy whispered to Rhodey while Bruce told his story.

“The guy that came to study with Tony a while ago. They’re teammates”

Happy nodded, although he couldn’t quite remember the face of the teenager.

“I was about to leave, but noticed Stephen was drinking beer as if it were water and decided to stay. After a while he started babbling and that’s when I chose to help him. He greeted me quite enthusiastically and began to tell me stuff about the party, and the surgeons and you”

“You don’t remember what he said?”

Bruce wasn’t sure how much he should share. It was clear that Tony was interested in Stephen, maybe just as much the med student was in the engineer.

“Er… he mentioned you being nice to him and introducing him to his heroes or something”

“That’s it?”

“It was rather difficult to understand what he was saying at that point. But he mentioned you dancing and seemed… well, sad about it”

Tony’s eyes widened in surprise and after a couple of seconds he had the brightest smile on his face. He remembered Pepper mentioning Stephen looking jealous when he saw them dancing. He was no longer interested in getting more information or even considering other possibilities other than the one that was forming in his head. A voice inside his head reminded him that it didn’t make much sense, due to Stephen’s attitude, but the completely ignored it and stood up.

“What time was it when you last see him?”

“Mm… I must have left him on his dorm around 1:30 or 2”

“What time is it?” he asked looking at Rhodey

“11:15”

“Shit. It’s late” Tony replied, already turning to leave the kitchen

“Where are you going?”

“I have to take a shower. And get some stuff” he said in a rather cheerful mood.

“Okay” Rhodey said once Stark closed the door to his room. He turned to Bruce “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on between Tony and Strange?”

 

 

 

Stephen woke up feeling better than he expected. His eyes remained closed as he tried to remember what had happened. He was in love with Tony Stark, no way could alcohol make him forget such fact. When he pictured the shorter teen in his head a smiled appeared on his face, he liked everything about Tony’s face, but maybe his favourite part were the eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes. Stephen rolled on his bed and buried his face on the pillow. He was so screwed.

As time passed, his mind remembered everything more clearly. He went to a random bar, burning with jealousy and he drank until he wasn’t sure which way should he walk to get to his dorm. Bruce Banner had been there, he helped him and…

_Oh no_

He was sure he had said some very embarrassing stuff. He could not remember their entire conversation but he remembered enough. He covered his face with both hands.

 

 

_College Campus, 1:43 AM_

_“Why is he so cute, though? That’s not fair. It shouldn’t be possible” Stephen said to Bruce as they walked to his room. Stephen had his arm around the scientist shoulders._

_“I guess not” was the reply he got_

_“And his eyes! He has the most beautiful eyes! Have you looked at them? No way can you deny him anything when he looks at you with those eyes”_

_“That’s true” Bruce reply, visibly trying not to laugh._

_They got to the building and Bruce asked him once more where his room was._

_“Sooooo pretty” Strange sang as they made their way upstairs._

_He fell silent after that, probably focused on not falling down. Bruce was so surprised to see this side of Stephen. The few times they had seen each other to study, he looked like a serious teenager .They were about to get to his room when Stephen started talking again._

_“I can’t believe I didn’t notice” he whispered, as if he thought the other people in the building could hear them. Banner thought that was funny, since he hadn’t mind the entire bar listening to his drunk confessions. “Did you notice?”_

_“Certainly not”_

_“I was so jealous. I’ve never been a jealous guy”_

_“Sure”_

_“But… he looked so happy. Dancing with her”_

_“You mentioned she had red hair?”_

_“Yeah. Very pretty girl”_

_Bruce nodded. 100% sure he knew who he was talking about. Although he didn’t consider important to tell Stephen the truth right there. Maybe when he was sober. They finally reached his room and Stephen handed him the key. He opened and let the other teen enter._

_“Well, goodbye”_

_“Do you think he will be mad at me?” Stephen asked with a more serious tone “I was an asshole at the party. I should’ve stayed with him all night, not calling Christine…”_

_Bruce was beginning to feel uncomfortable but he smiled honestly at Strange._

_“No. I don’t think he will be mad at you. He… well, he cares about you”_

_Stephen smiled but he didn’t seem to believe the other boy’s words._

_“Well, goodbye” he repeated_

_“Thanks, Bruce”_

_“No problem”_

_Stephen closed the door and Bruce was sure he hear him saying “such pretty eyes” again, before he left the building._

 

Stephen felt so embarrassed as memories kept coming back. He shouldn’t be allowed into bars anymore. Suddenly, his eyes opened as realised it was Saturday. Tony was supposed to come to his place to study. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 12:05

_Damn it_

He got out of bed as fast as he could and almost fell in the process. He grabbed his phone and he was about to dial the number of the engineer when he heard the knock on the door.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

He then realised he had no shirt on and he was still wearing trousers. He grabbed some random sweatpants and a t shirt. There was another knock on the door. He changed his clothes as fast as he could.

“Coming!”

Before he opened the door he took a deep breath. Everything was fine, Tony had no idea about his feelings or about the things he had said last night. He just needed to act as usual, study and Tony would leave. He could decide what to do with his recently discovered feelings later. He opened the door and there he was, handsome as usual. Tony stared at him and Stephen had no idea what to say so…

“Tony” 

The engineer shook his head and… was he blushing? Stephen blinked, he was probably imagining things now.

“Hey, doc”

“Come in”

As Tony entered, Strange realised the teen was carrying some bags.

“What’s in there?”

“Oh, right” Tony replied, smiling and lifting the bags “Breakfast”

“What?”

“Breakfast” he repeated and then turned to walk to the kitchen.

Stephen was really confused but still followed Tony, who had already placed the bags on the table. Why was he bringing breakfast? And most importantly, why was he bringing breakfast when it was past noon? Stephen felt a little headache and asked no questions. Instead he decided to help and went to grab plates. When he turned he saw Tony staring at him with a smile.

“What?”

“I’m sorry but… did I wake you up, doc?”

“Er… no” Stephen answered “Why?”

“It’s… well, your hair”

Stephen’s eyes widened. He had been so busy changing his clothes he forgot to check his fucking hair. He could feel himself blush.

“I’ll be back in a minute” he said before leaving the kitchen at light speed.

He looked at himself in the mirror and covered his face with his hands. The blushing intensified as he considered the possibility of not leaving the bathroom for the rest of the day or ever again. His hair looked ridiculous. He sighed and used water to try fix his hair as much as possible. When he returned to the kitchen Tony was serving some food that looked weird but smelled delicious. He grabbed a glass of juice and then pointed at the plates

“What’s that?”

“I believe it’s called chilaquiles” Tony answered, giving him a kind smile.

“What?”

“It’s Mexican food”

“I know that, why are we having Mexican food?”

“It’s hangover food” Tony stated looking at him.

“Huh, you don’t look like you need hangover food” Stephen said, beginning to feel calm as he drank more juice.

“I know. It’s not for me” he said simply, taking a seat “Bruce told me you drank a lot last night and…”

But of course, Tony couldn’t finish his sentence because Stephen spat all the juice and started coughing. The engineer was next to him a second later, patting his back and offering a napkin.

“You-you talked to Bruce?” Stephen asked without looking at him.

“Yeah, he was in my apartment a few hours ago”

He was blushing again and tried to use the napkin to cover his face. This day was getting worse and worse and he hadn’t even been up for more than an hour.

“What did he tell you?” Stephen asked once he had recovered. He used the napkin to clean his mouth and then threw it in the trash can. Tony smiled and took his seat again.

“Not much, to be honest. Apparently you drank so much you ended up babbling a lot and he could only understand some words”

“Oh” _GOD BLESS YOU, BRUCE BANNER!_ “Yeah, I guess I did”

“Do you remember anything?”

“Eh…” Stephen was poking his food with a fork. He did remember everything, not perfectly, but still. He looked at Tony and decided that wasn’t the best time to confess his feelings, mainly because he hadn’t decided what to do with them yet “Some stuff, you know. I remember going into the bar… and drinking and Bruce helping me”

“And how are you feeling?”

“Not that bad to be honest”

“Good, you’re lucky. Usually I can’t remember shit after a night out”

Stephen nodded but had a flashback to the night he helped Tony get home. He really needed a distraction or he would end up blushing the entire fucking day.

“By the way, you brought all of this because you thought I had a hangover?”

“Hell yeah, you took care of me twice already. And we weren’t even that good friends, so I think it’s my turn to do something nice”

“You already did, remember? Last night?”

“Not good enough” he replied, drinking some juice “I’m sure you could’ve charm all those doctors without my help”

“Thanks, but I still think it was nice of you. I don’t think I ever thank you for it”

“Don’t mention it, it’s what friends do”

_Friends…_

The word felt different for the med student now. They were obviously friends and nowhere near anything else as far as Stephen concerned, but he couldn’t help to think maybe… one day… somewhere in the future… No, the idea was a little dumb now that he thought about it. Tony Stark had everything and could have anyone he wanted whenever he pleased, he was certainly not thinking about Stephen. And who knew? Maybe this kind of things, Tony showing up with breakfast and all would soon be over after the contest. Which was only three weeks away. Yeah, maybe Stephen should just wait until his feelings passed.

“What are you thinking about?” Tony asked while staring at him.

“Um… the contest. It’s only three weeks away”

“Oh, you’re right. I forgot about it. But it’s okay, we’re going to kick ass”

Stephen chuckled. Yeah, they were probably going to. Tony was one of the brightest peopled he had ever met.

“Probably, but we still have to study”

“And that’s why we’re here, right?”

“Right”

“Good. So finish your chilaquiles, drink more juice and some of that almond milk you seem to love so much”

“Will definitely do”

“If you feel better after that, we’ll study”

“And if I don’t?”

“I don’t know, I mean…” Tony rubbed the back of his head, he looked a bit uncomfortable “If you don’t feel alright I’ll leave so you can rest-“

“No, no, that’s not what…” Stephen quickly replied. Obviously regretting his choice of words “I… never mind, I feel good”

“Good” Tony said with a smile and Stephen felt like he could watch that smile all day long.

They ate and talked for a while. Tony mentioned all the projects he had to do for a class and some ideas he had about projects of his own. Stephen was amazed with Tony and everything about him, the passion he put in his work, his willingness to try and try no matter how many times he failed, his wish that the Stark tech would help improve people’s lives. Stephen probably shouldn’t even be that surprised by Tony’s ideas and intelligence, he was after all, an actual certified genius. But now that he could see Stark’s eye lit up whenever he talked about improving and helping other people, he understood why the doctors he met last night were so fond of him.

After they finished their breakfast, Stephen told Tony he would clean later, but Tony insisted on helping. The whole thing was quite fun to be honest. Tony had never ever cleaned a table or washed the dishes, so he asked the weirdest questions to Stephen. They laughed about it and Stephen could only think about how screwed he was. His feelings for Tony would not be leaving any time soon.

They moved to the small living room and grabbed some books about ancient literature and poetry. Stephen sat on the wing chair and Tony took the sofa. They studied for a while on silence and then began to ask questions to each other. They would hardly ever get anything wrong. When that was over, they decided to practice with other stuff they already knew. Physics, chemistry and so on.

“Okay, time!” Stephen said pressing the chronometer.

“I’m done”

“And the answer is…?”

“12.3487”

“That’s correct”

“Are you even surprised?” Tony asked with a smug smile and Stephen rolled his eyes, even though he was smiling too.

“Don’t get too cocky, Stark. You got the last one wrong”

“I didn’t want you to feel bad. You already made two mistakes”

“Yeah, right”

They laughed a little and then Stephen realised that they had study everything they could for the day.

“Well, it looks like that’s it”

“Yeah” Tony replied, not really moving from his spot on the sofa.

The weird silence that followed was only interrupted by Stephen’s stomach. Which decided that was the best time to make noises. Tony chuckled and Stephen blushed a little, but since he didn’t want Tony to leave, he decided to use this chance.

“So, you wanna eat something?”

“Yes” the engineer said quite enthusiastically “You wanna go out for something?”

“No, not really in the mood. Do you mind if we order something?”

“No, not at all”

“Good, what would you like?”

“Mm… do you like Chinese food?”

“Chinese food it is”

They both stood up. Tony took care of putting all the books in their place while Stephen called the Chinese restaurant he ate at sometimes. They ordered noodles, fried rice and dumplings, the fortune cookies came with the order.

“So…” Stephen said, once he hung up “You wanna watch a movie?”

He had a TV in the living room he would rarely watch, but he was glad he had it. At least today.

“Sure, what do you have in mind?”

“You pick it, the remote is over there” he replied, pointing at the small table in the middle of the room. The TV was in front of the sofa, so this time they would both have to sit there. Not that Stephen was complaining, of course.

After a lot of consideration, Tony choose The Godfather, which was great considering Stephen really loved that movie. The sat next to each other and started watching the film. The med student tried to put his entire attention in the TV and not in the body next to his, and he succeeded until their food arrived.

Tony’s laugh was precious and he made funny faces while eating, Stephen had to remind himself several times that he was supposed to watch the movie and not Tony, although both were masterpieces. About half way into the movie, Stephen’s brain started to wonder what was happening. He thought about everything Tony was doing for him, the fact that he really seemed to enjoy Stephen’s presence and few occasions he caught the engineer staring at him. Was there a chance that maybe Tony liked him too? Suddenly his eyes widened. Was that a date?

_Well, I mean… it’s obviously not. We were studying and decided to take a break, right? Nothing unusual for friends to do…_

But still, something felt different. He looked at the clock on the wall. 6:24. He had spent the entire day with Tony, or at least the part of the day where he was actually awake. And Tony seemed happy about it. At no point had Stark showed any desire to leave, in fact, he was the one that proposed the idea to keep studying once they finished Renaissance Poetry.

_Maybe…_

Stephen took a deep breath and glanced at the boy next to him. He was clearly enjoying the movie, but when he noticed Stephen’s eyes on him he turned to him, smiled and kept watching the movie.

_Well, this time is as good as any to find out, right? What’s the worst that could happen? Wait, no. Better not think about that._

Giving himself no time to chicken out, he pretended to stretch and his right arm landed on the sofa, behind Tony’s shoulders.  He thought he was being ridiculous but did not remove his arm. For a moment, he thought Tony hadn’t noticed, but a small smile formed in the engineer’s lips when there was nothing funny on the screen. Stephen took that as a good sign and relaxed. 10 minutes later, Tony laughed so hard his head ended up resting on Stephen’s arm. Neither of them said something, they were looking directly at the TV, but made no intention to move. Neither could hold back a smile.

 

 

Stephen woke up two and half hours later. He was a bit confused but he slowly remembered the events of the day. That’s when he noticed the body of Tony. He blushed as he took in the scene. They were still on the couch, but Stephen’s arm was no longer behind Tony’s shoulders like he remembered, it was now completely hugging him. Meanwhile, Tony’s head rested comfortably against Stephen’s chest and his arm around the med student’s waist.

Stephen could honestly not believe what was happening. Less than 24 hours ago, he had realised he was in love with Tony Stark and now here he was, taking a nap and cuddling him in the middle of his living room. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, but when he realised it was real, he decided to enjoy the moment. He would wait until Tony woke up and see how he reacted. His fingers started drawing circles on Tony’s arm. He closed his eyes again and rested his chin on Tony’s head, his hair smelled wonderfully.

He was about to fall asleep again when his phone, placed on the small table in front of them, started to ring. He tensed, worrying it would wake Tony, but after a couple of seconds, the ringing stopped and Tony remained sound asleep. What he heard after, made his heart beat way faster.

“See? I told you he was there” Christine said to someone outside of his room

“You think he’s still sleeping?” Wong asked.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him since the party and Josh said he hasn’t left the room all day but he was sure he heard the TV”

Josh was the guy that lived next to him.

“You think we should check on him?”

“Yeah, who knows? Maybe he’s hungry”

“Okay, give me a minute”

There were some noises coming from the door and Stephen knew what they meant.

_Oh no, no, no, no, no_

What should he do now? Should he pretend he was asleep? Wake Tony up and act like nothing happened? Yell something so they wouldn’t come in? Stand up?

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

“There!” Wong announced, his voice much clearer now.

“Stephen!” Christine said as she entered the room.

The med student just sat there, looking at his friends. Their jaws dropped when they realised who was the other person on the couch. And then Tony started moving, clearly waking up. He hugged Stephen tighter, making Stephen’s face turn bright red. After a couple of seconds Tony’s body tensed up. He was probably fully awake now, Strange figured.

“Fuck” Tony whispered and he stood up at the speed of light.

“Hey, guys” he greeted Wong and Christine with a weak smile. He was blushing too. “I… uh… have to leave now. So, yeah”

He looked around and avoiding Stephen’s eyes, he whispered something like “Thank you for everything” before leaving.

Stephen remained glued to the couch, processing his day. Christine and Wong exchanged a glance and then turned to face their friend.

“I knew it!” Christine said triumphantly.

. 


	8. The birthday party

**Monday**

Mrs. Abbott could not believe her eyes. The teenagers in front of her were smiling at each other, looked so comfortable around each other in a way that, if she herself didn’t know them, she would have assumed they were a couple.

 _Huh, maybe I should major in matchmaking._ She thought with a smile as their practice session continued.

**Wednesday**

Stephen was walking happily towards Tony’s apartment, like most Wednesdays. He really couldn’t get the smile off his face, everything was going really well between the teenagers and Stephen was beginning to believe maybe Tony liked him too and not just in a sexual way, which Stephen wouldn’t mind, but maybe for something more serious.

After their little nap on Saturday, Tony sent him a text apologising for leaving so quickly and repeating he had a good time. Stephen replied and since then their conversation hadn’t ended, sending each other random thoughts when the conversation was dying. To be honest, Stephen was still kind of shocked with this sudden love but after thinking for a while he realised it wasn’t sudden at all, he had just not noticed it yet.

Even before officially meeting Stark, Stephen considered him handsome and smart. But as they talked and studied Stephen realised he was also funny and sarcastic, just like Strange himself. Maybe it was then when he started to see Tony in a different way. And then weeks went by, and Stephen learned more and more about his teammate. The way he treated his friends, the way he helped other people and not care if he got the credit for doing so, the way he talked about his projects, his problem with alcohol and a little part of his past.

He kept thinking about the night he helped a drunk Tony back to his place. He had wanted to kiss him right there. He had been falling for him for a long time. Like the day Tony showed up a little drunk on his dorm and ended up falling asleep in the couch and Stephen could just not stop staring at the boy, losing the track of time. He tried to remember that day better, ‘cause they fought and Christine interrupted them.

_He took the history book and let it fall into the millionaire’s stomach. Tony opened his eyes immediately and moaned in pain._

_“What the hell?” he said, looking at Stephen._

_“Time to get up”_

_“Jesus, I want nice Strange back”_

_“What a shame”_

_“Why can’t you let me sleep?”_

_“First of all, because you are not supposed to be sleeping, especially not here and second of all, because unlike you, Anthony, I don’t have other people at my disposal to do things for me, so I actually have to get things done on time”_

_“Did you just…?”_

_“What?”_

_“Nothing”_

_“Well, then get up, when need to study”_

_Tony got up and walked towards Stephen. There were about three feet of space between them._

_“You know what? I think you need a nap too. Why are you so cranky?”_

_“I already told you”_

_“So you’re mad at me because I am rich?”_

_“No, I’m annoyed with your lack of responsibility” he answered, getting closer._

_“Oh my god, Stephen! Can you please shut up about responsibility? You sound like…” Tony shut up and looked away from Stephen taking a step backwards. But the taller boy was not going to let him go that easily._

_“Like what, Anthony? Like who?” He demanded to know, leaving only one feet of space between them._

_“Like…” Tony said, looking directly into the blue eyes of his teammate “No one”_

As he remembered their really dumb fight he began to wonder who Tony could be talking about. Although before he had an idea he realised he was entering Tony’s building. Chuck smiled at him like usual, like he knew something Stephen didn’t. The student blushed a little and waved at him before getting to the elevator. The smile returned to his face when the elevator door opened, he walked the few feet separating him from Tony’s place and knocked.

He heard some noise on the inside and wondered if Tony’s friends were there again. Still, Stephen was not prepared when the red hair girl he saw with Tony the other night opened the door. She smiled at him and he didn’t know how to react or what to say. The girl noticed and decided to talk first.

“Stephen?”

“Yeah”

“Hey! So nice to finally meet you” she continued stepping aside so Stephen could get in and the closed the door “I’m Virginia, but everyone calls me Pepper so…”

“Oh, nice to meet you too” he replied, feeling a bit awkward.

“Tony’s having breakfast on the kitchen” she said so they headed over there.

As they walked Stephen looked at the living room and saw many papers spread across the table and some even on the floor. There was a big box in the middle of the table, it looked like someone was trying to organise something. They entered the kitchen and he saw Bruce having some milkshake, Rhodey watching the news in low volume and Tony talking on the phone.

Tony was the first to notice them and he waved at Stephen with a smile on his face as he kept talking over the phone, Stephen returned the smile but then he noticed that Pepper was looking at him as if she was studying his reaction and so were the other guys in the room. This was getting confusing. Rhodey and Bruce exchanged a glance.

“Hey, man” Rhodey said

“Hey”

“Wanna have some breakfast?”

“I’m fine, thanks. I ate something before coming”

“Okay, Obbie, I have to go. You know you can do what you please, it’s no big deal. We’ll talk about details later” Tony said before hanging up, probably not letting the person on the other side of the line answer “I see you’ve met Pepper already”

Stephen nodded and Pepper turned to face him.

“I’m so glad we’ve met, Tony can’t shut up about you”

“HEY!” Tony replied, blushing a little

“I mean, I think I saw you at the party last Friday but…”

“Pepper…” Tony whispered even though everyone could hear him. Stephen was now the one blushing and neither of them liked where the conversation was going.

“Er… well, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Tony a few weeks ago, at the fund raiser event. You know?”

“Oh, sure. No problem”

There was a moment of silence.

“So… Stephen, do you want something? I can make an omelette if you want, I was about to cook one for myself so…” Tony was looking directly into Stephen eyes, and God help him, Stephen couldn’t say no to those eyes.

“Yeah, sure”

Tony nodded and turned to face the stove. Bruce smiled at Stephen, who pretended not to notice and acted as natural as he could. Rhodey continued watching the news and Pepper took a seat next to him.

“So, Stephen, you’re a med student, right?”

“Yes”

“That’s so cool”

“Thanks” Stephen was still confused. He wanted to know the kind of relationship she had with Tony.

“Tony also mentioned you want to be surgeon, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s the plan”

“Even cooler. What type of surgeon do you want to be?”

“Jesus, Pepper, is this a job interview? Leave the man alone” Tony interfered, having trouble with cracking the eggs.

“Well, it’s your fault. I’m the only one here who didn’t know him”

“And still I can assure you now know more about him than Rhodes”

Rhodey didn’t look at them but nodded.

“See?”

“I don’t mind, Anthony”

Bruce spat the milkshake and started coughing. Rhodey helped him and everyone looked either surprised or worried.

“Hey, Banner, are you okay?” Tony asked looking concerned for his friend. Bruce’s face was still red from all the coughing but he nodded and tried to smile.

“Yeah, sorry, I just… remembered something”

“Okay…” Tony turned to work on his omelette again and Pepper decided to help. Rhodey waited until Bruce could breathe properly again. The scientist whispered something in his ear and Rhodes nodded. Stephen was feeling more and more awkward. He didn’t know what to say, he had never been good with small talk and he couldn’t help to feel that Tony’s friends were watching him. Which was clearly a ridiculous idea, so maybe he was being a paranoid.

“So, guys” Bruce said after a while “What are we going to study today?”

“Philosophy”

“And Economy”

“Ew, okay… I might be useful with philosophy but I am useless at economy”

“Oh, don’t worry, my boy” Tony said as he triumphantly placed the first omelette on a plate “Obadiah has been teaching me some of that, I need to get that stuff when I become the CEO”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right”

“When are you getting the company?” Rhodey asked

“On my 21st birthday”

“So… in a year”

“Correct”

Stephen looked puzzled.

“I thought you were 19”

“He is” Pepper replied, focus on the omelette still on the stove “Haven’t you told him yet?”

“I was going to”

“Tell me what?”

“Wait here” the engineer replied, winking at him.

Tony left the room with a smile on his face and came back about 45 seconds later with three black envelopes. He handed them to Stephen who was starting to figure what was inside.

“You’re officially invited to my birthday party”

Stephen opened the envelope and found a very elegant invitation. The party was on Friday around 7PM. The teenager did his best to hide his happiness and just smiled casually at Tony.

“Sure, I’ll be there”

“Great! But look, there’s more”

Stephen looked down at the envelope and discovered something else in there. It was some sort of pass with VIP written on it.

“VIP?”

“Yeah. Obadiah is planning a big party but I hardly know half of the people on the list. So I decided I wanted an area where only my real friends would be”

Stephen nodded, really flattered.

“And what’s on the other two?” He asked, pointing at the other envelopes.

“Oh, those are Wong’s and Christine’s. I… I thought you’d want them there too. I mean… I know them… sort of…”

“Thanks, Tony. I’m sure they’ll be very happy”

“Good”

Tony’s face was a little red when he went to grab the other omelette.

“Here” he said, placing it in front of Stephen.

“Thanks”

Tony took his own and sat next to him.

“Hey, Rhodey. Will you help me with the rest of the invitations? There’s about 30 left.”

“Sure thing” the teen replied getting up. He waved at the rest of the group as they walked out the kitchen “Good luck with your… thing”

The three remaining teenagers nodded.

“So…” Stephen said before they finished their little breakfast “How long have you been friends for?”

Tony looked at him with amusement in his eyes, clearly finding the question a little weird. But Stephen didn’t know another way to ask about his relationship with Pepper without being obvious.

“Well, I met Bruce on my first week on college so… what? About two years now? Rhodey and I met on junior high and he’s been my best friend ever since and Pepper… well, Pepper’s been in my life forever, we know each other since we were children, she’s like the mom in this dysfunctional little family”

“Oh, I see”

“Is that it?”

“Yeah”

“Huh, alright. Strange” 

They finished eating and cleaned a little before they started studying. Stephen tried not to look in love with Tony, but it was hard. He kept making him laugh and every time Stephen felt Bruce’s eyes on him.

**Wednesday, around 9PM on Stephen’s dorm**

“O H M Y G O D!” Christine yelled at the ceiling “I AM INVITED TO TONY STARK’S BIRTHDAY PARTY”

“This is awesome, man” Wong said, still looking at the VIP pass.

Christine started jumping on Stephen’s couch.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you” She said “I can believe you got yourself a famous boyfriend!”

“He… he isn’t my boyfriend”

“Oh, but he will be, that’s for sure”

“What?”

“Oh, come on, Stephen! Even Wong knows it”

Both turned to face the other teen.

“She’s right, Strange”

“Why?”

“He invited us, Stephen, US. He hasn’t even had a conversation with me like ever and I got a VIP pass!”

“He’s being nice”

“I know, I am very happy about it. But even you know he did it because he wants YOU to be comfortable and happy. He did this for you”

Stephen didn’t know how to reply to that. Maybe they were right. Maybe something could happen in the party. Maybe.

“Oh shit”

“What?” Christine asked, suddenly looking concerned.

“I don’t know what to give him. I have no idea what would be a good present”

After a few seconds, his friends starting laughing so much Christine fell off the couch.

“I have a few ideas” Wong said making suggestive movements with his hands.

Stephen throw him a pillow with his face bright red.

 

 

**Friday.**

Stephen looked defeated as he stared at the black suit laying in his bed. He had tried all Thursday to find a good or at least acceptable gift for Tony but he had failed. After all, what could you give to the man who had it all? He didn’t want to show up empty-handed but he also didn’t want to give Tony a shitty impersonal gift. He sighed in frustration and headed to the kitchen.

He had just got back to his bedroom after his Friday lectures. He had to move fast, he was supposed to eat, shower, get ready and meet Wong so they could pick up Christine and go to the party. He looked through the kitchen and decided to eat some pasta he had left. He didn’t want to admit but he was getting more nervous every hour. He had been thinking about what Christine said, maybe that night could be especial.

_Maybe. Maybe. Maybe._

He took a quick shower and shaved the little facial hair he had. He returned to his room and looked at the suit again. He got dressed and stared at his reflexion on the mirror. His hair looked a little messy, but he liked it. He put a little of the only cologne he had in his neck and told himself this was going to be a fancy party, he had to look good and obviously not for himself. He looked at the mirror for the last time and went to Wong’s room.

They waited for Christine outside her building for 20 minutes. Apparently she was just finishing the last details of her make up. Although on her defence, Stephen had to admit she looked wonderful. They called a cab and headed to the party. Wong and Christine could tell Stephen was nervous, so they decided to joke around about everything but Tony. They laughed and had a good time, 20 minutes later, they arrived.

The place was spectacular. It was discrete but beautiful. There was obviously no red carpet or anything, but several photographers were waiting on the doors to take pictures of the guests and the birthday boy himself. Stephen looked around trying to find Tony but couldn’t, maybe he would arrive later? It would be unusual, but everyone knew Stark was not exactly normal.

The three friends began to climb the stairs. Photographers noticed them and flashes appeared everywhere. They smiled shyly and tried to walk faster.

“Hey, Stephen!” A voice called him from the door. The three looked up and Stephen smiled when he recognise Bruce Banner.

“Hi, Bruce” Stephen replied when they finally reached him “These are my friends, Christine and Wong”

“Pleasure to meet you” He said, shaking their hands with a kind smile “There are already drinks inside, music is good and the food shouldn’t take long”

“Is Tony there?”

“No, not yet. But he will be soon, the company members are starting to arrive”

“Okay”

“Shall we?” Bruce asked, motioning towards the door.

“Sure”

They walked inside as people continued to arrive. Some faces were familiar to Stephen, but he couldn’t remember any names. All of them were impressed with the inside of the place. There was a small orchestra playing on one of the corners. The decorations were mostly gold and red. There were some ice sculptures and people in their best clothes. To be honest, this wasn’t the kind of party that he would associate with Tony. The guy he knew wasn’t exactly into quiet, formal things.

They met Rhodey and Happy on the bar, Stephen did the introductions and they started a little conversation. Stephen didn’t too much attention to what his friends were saying and he just kept looking around the room, searching for a particular pair of eyes. Of course, the rest of the group knew exactly what he was doing and they let him. Both his and Tony’s friends were curious to see what would happen that night.

Finally, the moment came. Between flashes and shouted questions from the journalist, Tony Stark arrived to his party. Obadiah Stane on his left and Pepper Pots on his right. He looked absolutely amazing and he acted like he knew it. His smug smile turned to answer some of the journalist with his typical jokes and everyone laughed. Tony was wearing a grey suit similar to the one he had wear at the med school event a few weeks ago, except that today he was also wearing glasses. Stephen decided he liked them. He liked them a lot.

He was so busy admiring the engineer it took him a few seconds to realise that another guy was approaching Tony. He looked like he was the same age as Tony, very handsome and with clothes probably just as expensive, the only difference was the smug smile. Tony’s smile widened when he noticed the guy, they hugged and the photographers were shouting even more.

“Mr. Stark! Mr. Richards! Over here!”

_Mr. Richards? Who is this guy?_

The two teenagers posed naturally for the journalists. After that the Mr. Richards guy hugged Pepper and shook Obadiah’s hand. They seemed like a very happy group. Richards was now walking besides Tony while Obadiah answered some questions. Apparently the guy said something funny, because Tony and Pepper laughed.

“I didn’t know he was coming” Rhodey said, apparently as annoyed as Stephen was feeling with the sight.

“How? You sent the invitations” Bruce replied.

“I didn’t read the whole list. There were over 150 guests”

“And who is he?” Christine asked. All of them still staring.

“Oh, he…”

“Stephen!” Tony shouted when he saw them.

The engineer walked faster, leaving Richards and Pepper behind. Tony was smiling so much, Stephen couldn’t help but to feel a little cocky with the attention he was getting. He knew it wasn’t very mature, but he rejoiced with the expression of surprise written all over the Richards guy face. Of course, those feelings faded the minute Tony was close to him. His mind barely focusing on anything else.

“I’m glad you’re here” the engineer said when he got near to them.

“It’s your birthday, I wouldn’t miss it”

Rhodey cleared his throat quite loudly.

“Excuse me? Your best friend is also here, just in case you care”

“Oh, come on, Rhodey” Tony said smiling and putting an arm around his friend’s shoulders “You know you’re my favourite!”

Rhodes rolled his eyes, but seemed pleased with the response.

“Hey, guys!” Pepper said enthusiastically “I’m so glad you’re here. Oh wait. I don’t think we’ve met” she said when she noticed Christine and Wong. “I’m Pepper”

“Pleasure to meet you” said Christine, a bit shyly “Christine”

“I’m Wong”

“Oh, right. Well, to those who don’t know him yet” Tony said, pointing at the new guy, but remaining next to Stephen “This is Reed Richards”

“Hello, everyone” Reed said with a charming smile.

“Tony!” Obadiah’s voice made everyone turn “Come here!”

“Oh, right. People. Well, I’ll leave you to know each other I’ll be back… eventually”

And with that Tony disappeared into the crowd that was gathering around the main door. Pepper leaded them all to the bar and ordered drinks for everyone. Nothing too strong of course. The party went on and the group of teenagers remained together. They talked about college, life and Tony. Christine, seemed particularly interested in learning about Richards.

“So, you don’t go to our college?”

“No, right now I’m doing some research on Stanford”

“And how did you meet Tony?”

“Oh, we’ve known each other our whole lives. And we’re friends” He answered as he drank a little more, but then whispered with a smile “At least most of the time”

Tony came back a couple of times in the two hours that followed, but he could hardly stay for more than 15 minutes. Stephen guessed that maybe that night wouldn’t be exactly what he had imagined if Tony was so busy. But he was still happy to be there. Eventually Happy showed up too, and as time passed more young people arrived. Stephen didn’t know what to think about Reed, but it was clear that he was very smart too. They went to the VIP zone when more people started showing up.

Richards and Banner were discussing something about chemical structures. Pepper was talking with Christine about who knows what and the rest of the guys were laying on a couch telling stories, most of them involved Tony and how he got in and out of troubles. Rhodey was in the middle a story when they were 15 years old when Tony appeared again. It was now around 10PM

“Okay. Obadiah is about to take the dinosaurs out for some dinner and business stuff. He just wants to make a toast and they’ll be gone”

“Thank God!” Rhodey said.

“Wait, so this isn’t the party?” Christine asked looking confused

“Of course not” Richards reply, walking up to Tony “This just for the old, rich people to enjoy. They like to see Tony behaving like a gentleman”

“Exactly, did you really think my birthday party would look like a charity event?”

“Of course not, this makes more sense” Wong replied.

“Well, then, we better go down there and listen to the toast, right?” Richards almost whispered next to Tony. Stephen stood up in the blink of an eye, Christine and Pepper followed him and soon the whole group went downstairs.

Obadiah was already in the middle of the room while some waiters brought glasses with champagne to every guest. Someone handed him a microphone and he called Tony. People gathered around the couple, most of them really old people, some even dressed in military uniforms. Stephen and the rest of the group got a good spot and witnessed the speech Obadiah had prepared.

Obadiah talked briefly about how Tony was as a kid and how he had grown into the man next to him, Tony made a few jokes along the toast and everyone laughed. The confidence and charisma that Tony irradiated naturally while speaking was one of the many things Stephen admired. The toast was over and everyone drank for the birthday boy. Tony spent the next fifteen minutes saying goodbye to the very large group of adults that had come to the party.

“Please behave” Obadiah whispered on Tony’s ear before leaving. They got into a limo and slowly faded in the background.

And just like that, the room changed in a matter of seconds. Lights of different colours came from different directions, AC/DC started playing and beer suddenly appeared. 

“Time to have fun!” Tony shouted and everyone answered with a cheer.

The middle of the room became the dance floor, five tables appeared to be used for beer pong, and everyone had a smile on their faces.

“Yeah, this is more what I had in mind” Wong said.

“Well, let’s have some fun!” Christine shouted.

Christine and Pepper teamed up against Rhodey and Happy for beer pong. Meanwhile, Bruce and Reed kept talking about things nobody understood. Tony, Stephen and Wong watched the game and cheered for Christine and Pepper. Richards suddenly appeared next to Tony, and Stephen got closer to the engineer.

“Come on, Rhodes, you’re better than that!” Richards said as James failed again.

“Shut up, Richards!”

“Hey! I’m just saying”

“Well stop! I’m trying to focus!”

“I didn’t know Pepper was so good at this” Stephen whispered on Tony’s ear, sending shivers down the other boy’s spine.

“Yeah, she doesn’t drink that much, but she has skill” Tony replied turning to face Stephen. They hadn’t been that close in a while, and when their eyes met they froze. Stephen smiled warmly but didn’t know what to do, he was using all his energy not kiss Tony right there.

“YES! WE WON!” Pepper’s voice make the two teenagers startle. Tony cleared his throat and looked at the girls “Who is next?”

“Wanna play?” Tony asked to Stephen almost shyly.

“Sure”

“Good. God knows I’m going to need alcohol tonight” Tony said to himself. Grateful that the light helped hide his blush.

Tony and Stephen stand on the other side of the table. Stephen had hardly ever played that game, but it didn’t seemed that complicated and his teammate was probably a very good player considering how often he attended parties.

“Ladies first” Christine said with a smug smile passing the ball to the boys.

“I think someone has had too much to drink tonight” Stephen replied

“Don’t worry for me, you’re about to drink a lot yourself”

“We’ll see”

“Okay” Tony said after the cups were ready “Let’s see how good you are, doc”

Stephen smiled and quickly calculated his throw. To everybody’s surprise, even his though he wouldn’t admit it, he nailed it. Tony cheered and they high fived.

“Bring it on, Peps” Tony said, teasing Pepper, who clearly looked unpleased.

The game went on, both teams trying their best. They were so good that in five minutes there only two cups left on each side of the table. Stephen was beginning to feel the effects of beer on his brain, which made him smile, feeling more relaxed. Tony threw the ball and it landed right in the cup.

“Yes! That’s the Tony that I know!” Richards cheered him, obviously he had drank too. He even blew a kiss in Tony’s direction which certain med student did not like at all, so, Stephen placed an arm around Tony’s shoulders and brought him closer, kissing his temple.

“Good job, partner”

Everyone stared at them for a moment. Tony remained frozen under Stephen’s arm. Wong was the only one smiling. Stephen realised what he had done and blushed. Richards looked at him with a mixture of surprise and indignation. Christine could tell his friend was feeling awkward and saved him.

“Damn it! Come on, Pepper you can do this!” she said to get everyone’s attention. Pepper realised what she wanted and nodded.

“I don’t care if it’s your birthday, Tony. I am not going to let you win”

“Oh, that’s cute. As if I needed your help to win. I’m the champion!”

“Only ‘cause I never play when you ask!”

“Just throw the ball already!” Rhodey joined

“Aw, defeat doesn’t suit you well, Rhodes!” Christine intervened.

Pepper smiled at the comment and threw the ball. Tony cursed when it landed in the cup and splashed a little. Stephen threw the ball as Tony drank the beer, but he was still a bit overwhelmed with the fact he had casually kissed Tony’s head he couldn’t focus and failed.

“Yeah! Seems like you’re going to lose”

“Shut up, Pepper, we still have one cup left”

“Not for long” Christine replied and threw the ball.

“Fuck!” Tony whispered as he saw their last cup splashing thanks to the ping pong ball.

“YEEEES!” Pepper and Christine cheered as they hugged “In your faces!”

“We’re coming back for a rematch”

“Whatever you say, Tony”

Tony and Stephen stepped away from the table and Wong and Bruce decided to try, just for fun, because neither thought they had any chance to win. Tony saw Rhodey talking to Reed, he hadn’t even noticed when the two of them separated from the group. Stephen avoided Tony’s eyes for a couple of minutes as they watched the game, every time a waiter came along, he took another drink, trying to find the courage to say something.

The match continued, other people started to join, the music was louder and the dance floor grew with each song. Tired and drunk, Christine and Pepper stopped playing after winning five games, Rhodey suggested they go back to the VIP zone and everyone agreed. Stephen was about to go upstairs with the others when Tony took his hand.

“We’ll catch up with you in a bit” he explained to Pepper, who smiled, nodded and continued her way upstairs.

Stephen looked down at their intertwined hands and smiled, he was not feeling nervous anymore.

“Hey”

“Hey”

“Wanna dance?” Tony asked, smiling and pointing at the very large group of people.

“Sure” he replied. “Anything for you, Anthony”

They made their way to the dance floor and thanks to all the alcohol on their systems, they started dancing right away. The music was fast and they soon find a rhythm. Tony moved naturally and gracefully, Stephen followed his movements and smiled at him. They were not paying attention at the time, they just kept dancing for a while and as more people joined, the closer they were until there was barely any space between them. Suddenly, Stephen remembered something and he leaned to whisper into Tony’s ear.

“I’m sorry”

Tony looked at him with confusion. Stephen decided he should elaborate.

“I didn’t get you anything. I spent a whole day searching, but I think you have it all”

The engineer smiled and a new spark appeared on his eyes

“I can think of one thing I don’t have that I really, really want”

Stephen hoped he was reading the situation right as he closed the gap between them, his hands cupping Tony’s face, kissing him gently. He was about to pull away, when he felt Tony’s hands in his hair, pulling him closer. He placed his hand on the waist of the engineer as they kept kissing as if their lives depended on it. No one noticed what was happening, everyone to busy dancing or too hammered.

When they finally pulled apart, Tony had the biggest grin on his face and Stephen couldn’t help but to kiss him again, a bit slower.

“Happy birthday” he whispered with their foreheads together.

“Best gift so far” Tony teased

“I sure hope it’s the only one of its kind you’re receiving today”

“Or what? You’d be jealous?”

“You bet”

They laughed and kissed again. Tony took his hand again and they stepped away from the dance floor.

“Come. I want to show you something” He said, leading the way to the VIP zone “I know a place with a great view”

Stephen followed without question, feeling more like he was floating. Tony Stark liked him back! They got to the main room, where everyone was talking and laughing and suddenly, Rhodey came to hug Tony so hard he took a step back and let go Stephen’s hand.

“Tony, my friend”

“Rhodey, what is it?”

“Well, we’re sure there is some gigantic cake waiting for you somewhere in this place, but we thought we wanted to do something special this time, surprise you”

“What do you mean?”

Pepper walked towards them holding a small cake with one candle.

“Happy made it” she said

“Oh, guys! I love you all”

“We know” Rhodes replied “We love you too”

Tony was now surrounded by his friends, even Richards, Wong and Christine remained a little behind, feeling like they didn’t really belong there. Stephen was now behind Tony, watching with a smile the whole scene. They sang “Happy birthday” quickly and Tony closed his eyes before blowing the candle. Pepper removed it and before anyone could do anything about it, Rhodey smashed the cake in Tony’s face.

“Surprise!” he yelled as Tony cleaned his eyes, removing all the whipped cream. Everyone started laughing, but Tony turned to face Stephen, who was probably laughing the loudest.

“Oh, so you think this is funny, eh?”

“Maybe a little”

“Well, then I guess you won’t mind”

Before Stephen could reply, Tony grabbed the med student’s tie and pulled him for a kiss. Stephen was surprised, but he returned the kiss happily. The rest of the room felt silent until they couple pulled away.

“Fucking finally!” Wong yelled, raising his glass.

Everyone cheered and laughed. Tony and Stephen blushed a little, but laughed too. Tony felt like everything in his life was going right for once.

“Come on” he said to Stephen “Let’s get cleaned up”

They went to the bathroom and cleaned the whipped cream off their faces.

“How do I look?” Tony asked. Stephen spotted a little whipped cream on Tony’s neck and without hesitation, he leaned in and licked it.

“Perfect” he replied

They kissed a little more before going out the bathroom. They were smiling at each other like idiots when they heard Rhodey’s voice.

“Get the fuck out of here”

They walked a little faster and Tony froze when he saw the person standing there.

“Steve, what are you doing here?”


	9. Unwelcome

‘Tony’

The engineer took a step back, his face showing complete shock as he realised Steve Rogers was actually standing there, in the same room he was and it wasn’t some sick joke his mind decided to play on him. 

‘I said get out’ Rhodey repeated.

‘I just want to talk to him’

‘Well, isn’t that a shame?’ Bruce replied sarcastically.

Stephen tried to process what was happening around him. There was a man, apparently a bit older than all of them standing next to the door. Steve? Yeah, that’s what Tony said. Rhodey was blocking him, trying to make sure the guy could not step any further. Bruce, Happy and Pepper were now standing too, glaring at the guy. Stephen looked at his friends but Wong and Christine looked just as confused as he was, even Richards seemed to be having problems understanding the situation.

‘What do you want?’ Tony asked, his voice barely audible.

‘Talk’

‘Well, I don’t care about what you want, so get out’

‘Rhodey…’ Tony said

‘No, Tony. This guy will never get near you again’

‘You better leave now. We don’t want to make a scene’ Banner said, glaring at Steve.

‘Tony’ Steve repeated, ignoring everybody.

‘Why? Why are you here?’ Tony asked, obviously there was something more implied in that question, but Tony had troubles with speaking at the moment. His heart beating too fast.

‘It’s your birthday’

‘Oh, come on. That’s pathetic’ Pepper replied.

‘Can we talk in private?’ Steve asked, clearly losing his patience but still not acknowledging anyone besides Tony.

‘No’ Bruce, Rhodey and Happy replied at the same time.

Steve took a step forward avoiding Rhodes and looking right at Tony. But Rhodey quickly held him. Reed stood up too, everyone in the room trying to protect the millionaire, even Wong looked ready to fight if necessary. Tony took another step back, his back bumping into Stephen’s chest. The med student realised the engineer was trembling, and put an arm around him. That was the first time Steve looked at him, studying him, and Stephen held his gaze. Whoever this guy was, he was dangerous and had probably hurt Tony before.

Steve held up his hands, as if surrendering.

‘Fine. I’m leaving. But I want to talk to you, call me when you’re ready’

Tony didn’t show any sign he had listened, but he looked at Steve before the latter turned and left. Everyone sighed when Steve finally disappeared, some in relief, some in frustration. Stephen was about to ask who that guy was when he felt Tony shivering under his arm. He turned to face him, but Tony moved quickly.

‘I- I’m going to the bathroom’ he announced.

Bruce and Rhodey shared a concerned look, but let him walk away. Happy and Pepper started discussing something and Reed went to Rhodey, probably to ask him about Steve. Stephen considered joining them, but decided he would find out that stuff later, Tony probably needed his help more urgently. He went to the bathroom, where they had just made out a couple of minutes ago, and found Tony sitting in the floor, trembling and staring at the wall. He was mumbling something but Stephen couldn’t catch a word.

‘Tony, it’s okay, he’s gone’ he said as he sat next to him. Tony didn’t respond, lowering his gaze. Stephen wondered if it would be okay to touch him so he began with small steps and put his hand on top of the engineer’s. Tony didn’t move for a while, but he slowly looked at Stephen, he was still trembling so Stephen decided to take it a little further and put his arm around Tony’s shoulders bringing him closer. Tony buried his face oh Stephen’s neck and after just a couple of second, Stephen could feel the wetness in his shirt. Tony was crying.

They stayed like that for a while until Rhodey went looking for them. Rhodey looked crushed when he saw Tony but he quickly went back and talked with the others. He came back and kneeled next to them.

‘Reed is going to take care of the few journalist that are still here, Pepper and I will stay to keep things under control and make sure no one knows what happened. Bruce offered to take Christine and Wong back to the campus. Happy will drive you and Tony back to his place. I- I understand if you can’t stay, but I would appreciate-‘

‘I’ll stay with him. Don’t worry’

‘Good. Well, I’ll show you the back exit. Happy’s already there.

Tony was not speaking yet but he had stopped crying. His eyes looked lost, like his mind was somewhere far away. Stephen and Rhodey helped him up, and walked with him to the car. They got in and Happy drove them carefully to Tony’s apartment. They got there and Stephen noticed Tony’s hand were trembling again. Happy went into the building with them.

‘Good night, gentle-‘Chuck stopped talking when he saw Tony ‘Mr. Stark, are you okay?’

Tony kept staring at the floor and Happy went to talk with the man, indicating Stephen to keep walking.

‘Rogers showed up’ Happy explained.

‘I didn’t know he was back in the country’

‘Neither did we’

‘Well, don’t worry, Mr. Hogan. That man will not enter this building tonight or ever again’

Stephen couldn’t keep hearing the conversation as they got in the elevator. When the doors closed Tony’s breathing became faster and erratic.

‘Hey, Tony, it’s okay. We’re home’ Stephen said, taking the engineer gently by the shoulders. Tony looked at Stephen and nodded, trying to calm down. When they got to the door, Tony took out the keys, but couldn’t open the door, his hand was still shaking too much.

‘Here’ Stephen said ‘Let me’

They entered the room and stood there. Neither knowing where to go or what to do next. Happy walked in a minute later and guided them both to Tony’s room. Tony sat on the bed, staring at his feet. Trying hard to breathe properly. Happy went to the closet and pulled out some pyjamas. He handed them to Stephen.

‘You can change in the guest room’

Stephen nodded and went to the only other room that had a bed in it. He changed his clothes slowly, taking in everything that had happened that night. It was like a fucking roller coaster. He folded his trousers and his shirt and went back into the living room. Happy handed him some sheets and a blanket.

‘I thought I was going to stay in the guest room’ Stephen said, a bit confused but already heading to the couch.

‘Oh, no, sorry. Richards is supposed to stay there tonight. He doesn’t live in New York so Tony offered him the room’

‘Oh, okay’

‘Well, Tony’s already in bed so… I- I don’t know what to do in this situations, maybe check on him before you go to sleep?’

‘Sure’

‘Good, well I have to go. Call Chuck if you need anything. If something happens to Tony call Rhodes or Pepper or me’

‘Alright’

Happy nodded and headed to the door. Stephen remember he wanted to ask something.

‘Hey, Happy’

‘Yeah?’

‘Who was that guy?’

Happy looked at him in confusion but then he realised Stephen probably didn’t know anything about Tony’s life before they met, except of course about the things that appeared on magazines or the rumours in school. His phone started to ring

‘I’m sorry. We’ll have to leave this conversation for another time. They need me back there. Just… stay and call if anything happens’

Strange nodded and Happy left.  Stephen finished with the couch and went to Tony’s room. He opened the door slowly, afraid to scare the genius. But Tony was already asleep, his mouth slightly open. Stephen felt better just with looking at him, peaceful and relaxed. He had been so worried when he felt Tony trembling, when he couldn’t breathe, when he was crying. Stephen smiled and left the room. He took his clothes out of the guest room and he laid down in the couch. His mind thinking about the party.

He couldn’t believe how fast things changed. One minute he was dancing and kissing Tony Stark and the next, he was comforting Tony form a panic attack in the bathroom floor. His thought went back to the guy responsible, Steve Rogers, apparently, if he remembered the name correctly. The name was slightly familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it before. He remembered every conversation he had with Tony or any of Tony’s friends in the past few months, but nothing.

He was about to google it when the door opened and Stephen stood up in a second. Reed Richards walked in and held his hands up.

‘Sorry. Did I wake you?’ he asked, looking a bit embarrassed.

‘No, no. I’m sorry. You just surprised me’

‘Oh, okay. Is Tony asleep?’

‘Yeah’

‘Good. Goodnight then’

‘What happened at the party?’ Stephen asked.

‘Oh, not much really. Most people were too drunk to notice Tony was gone. I send the photographers away and Rhodey, Happy and Pepper stayed to take care of everything else. I think no one will know about this’

‘I see’

‘Yeah, thanks for helping Tony, by the way’

‘Not a problem’

‘Yeah…’ Richards looked a bit uncomfortable but finally decided to step a little closer to Stephen ‘Hey, I… I know this will sound a bit ridiculous after everything that happened, but I wanted to talk to you’

Stephen looked confused, but nodded. Reed took that as a sign and began.

‘Well… uh… I wanted to sort of apologise because, well I haven’t seen or talked to Tony in maybe five months so I didn’t know you were together’

Stephen blushed but didn’t deny it. He just looked surprised.

‘I mean, I don’t know if you’re together together right now, but I just wanted you to know that because earlier this evening I thought maybe you just wanted to sleep with him, because well, I haven’t seen you before and Tony is not usually the guy who lets people in his life so fast so… yeah. And… um… Tony and I have always been close, not always friends, but we grew up together. I even met him before Rhodes. And sometimes we would-‘

‘Yeah, yeah. I get it’ Stephen interrupted, not wanting to think about Tony and Reed being friends with benefits.

‘Right, you don’t want to hear that… But anyway, I’m just telling you this because you seem like a good guy and Rhodey thinks that too, he’s the one who to told me about you two so. And to be completely honest, I haven’t seen Tony being as happy as he looked whenever you were together in a very long time. So, yeah, I just wanted you to know that I’m just a friend here, not competition and that I appreciate what you did for Tony tonight’

Stephen was speechless. He had not expected Reed to be so honest, although his choice of words could have been better, but it was the middle of the night and it had a really unusual night altogether. Richards could see that Strange was struggling with finding the words to reply.

‘You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. Goodnight’

‘Goodnight’ Stephen said before Reed turned and went to his room. ‘Wait!’

‘Yeah?’

‘You know who that guy was?’

‘Sort of’ Richards replied, looking at the window and then at Stephen ‘He’s Steve Rogers, he and Tony dated for a long time a few years ago, I think. But I’m not sure what happened between them, I was on Italy at the time they broke up and I found out when it became news, I came back but Tony disappeared for a while, Rhodey wouldn’t say anything. By the time I saw Tony again he refused to answer questions so I let it go. But… I don’t know. Maybe Banner or Rhodes can tells us something tomorrow’

Stephen nodded and said thanks. Reed looked a bit sad after saying that but he didn’t add anything else and disappeared into the hallway. Stephen took his place back in the couch, probably with more questions that he had had before.

His mind couldn’t stop thinking. The fucking roller coaster seem to never end. He looked at the time in his phone. 3:15AM. He stood up and went to the kitchen. Maybe some tea would help. There were some bags on the counter and a big list next to them. Apparently someone had been shopping for groceries before the party, which was weird, considering Tony could have anything he wanted to eat with a phone call.

He ignored them and looked for some tea. It was no surprise he found none. He sighed and decided to check the bags, hopefully he would find something there. He read the list to save time and his heart almost exploded when he read his name halfway down the list.

_For Stephen. When he comes or if he ever stays?_

_-Almond milk_  
-Tea (how can he like that stuff so much?!)  
-Healthy cereal (probably should ask Rhodey about that)  
-Fruit 

 

Stephen smiled fondly at the list and laughed when he read the weird notes. He started searching for his tea in the bags, found it and started to boil the water, he did all of that with the biggest smile on his face. The tea was ready and he added a little milk to make it better. He put everything where he found it and before he could drink his tea, he heard something hitting the floor and a scream.

He ran as fast as he could to Tony’s bedroom. The engineer sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling, breathing hard and covered in sweat. Stephen sat next to him. Tony looked at him, with fear in his eyes.

‘Anthony, it’s okay. It’s me Stephen. It was just a nightmare’ 

Tony stared at him for some time but he eventually recognised him

‘Stephen’

‘Yeah, that’s me’ the med student replied with a smile, covering Tony’s hands with his own.

Tony looked down at their hand and closed his eyes.

‘It was so real’

‘It was just a bad dream. You’re safe, you’re home. I’m not letting anything happen to you.’

Tony looked at Stephen and hugged him tight. He could feel Tony was still scared and he hugged him back with the same intensity.

‘Stay, please’ Tony whispered in his ear.

‘Of course’ Stephen replied immediately. Although, he couldn’t know Tony was not talking about tonight.  The engineer moved to make space for Stephen and quickly they were under the blankets. Tony hugged Stephen again and buried his face in his chest. Stephen hold him, running his hand up and down Tony’s back, trying to make him feel safe and calm.

‘Stay’ Tony repeated before falling asleep again.

Stephen kissed his temple and replied, even though no one could listen ‘Always’


	10. The morning after

 

Tony woke up slowly. He refused to open his eyes because he was feeling so comfortable he wanted to wait and see if he would fall asleep again. He could tell there was already light outside, maybe it was midday for all he knew. He remembered he would usually study with Stephen on Saturdays, but he doubted his teammate would mind after the party.

The party.

Tony tried to move and noticed the other body in his bed. He was afraid to see who it was, but he opened his eyes anyway. Stephen’s face rested on the other pillow, he had arm around Tony’s waist and their legs were tangled.

‘Holy shit’ Tony said without thinking.

Stephen reacted to the voice, but instead of waking up, he held Tony closer and tighter. The engineer blushed and he considered staying in bed, pretend to be asleep and wait to see Stephen’s reaction but then, he remembered the party. And as the he felt the panic crawling on his chest, his phone, wherever it was, started to ring quite loudly.

 

‘Oh no’ Tony said ‘Oh no, no, no’ he repeated trying to push the blankets away so he could get out of bed, but his foot got stuck and he ended up falling. ‘Shit’  
  


‘Tony?’ Stephen asked. ‘Tony, are you okay?’  
  


Tony stood up as fast as he could and before replying he noticed Stephen was wearing his clothes.  
  


‘Oh, god. I’m so sorry Stephen’ the engineer said covering his face with his hands  
  


‘What are you talking about?’‘This’ he pointed at the bed ‘I’m sorry. I- I panicked last night, you shouldn’t have-‘  
  


‘Tony is fine. I had no problem with it I-‘  
  


‘No, no, don’t do that, I know you’re nice but this was too much. I’m sorry-‘  
  


‘Stop saying that’ Stephen continued getting off the bed and walking to get closer to Tony  
  


‘But I am!’ Tony insisted, taking a step back ‘You shouldn’t have seen me like that!’  
  


‘Like what? Like a human being?’  
  


‘That’s not what I meant’  
  


‘It’s okay, Tony. You shouldn’t apolog-‘  
  


‘But it was mistake!’  
  


‘What was?’ Stephen asked. Looking confused with the statement.  
  


‘The whole night was a mistake’ Tony said. Regretting those words immediately.  
  


Stephen stared at him. Tony just shook his head and before either could say anything a phone started to ring. Tony looked at his phone and read the name on the screen.  
  


‘It’s Obadiah. I should answer’  
  


‘Answer then. He really wants to talk to you’ the med student replied coldly and left the room without looking back at Tony, who was currently feeling like the worse thing to have happened to the human kind. But what was new about that?  
  


“Hey, Obbie, what’s up?

 

 

Stephen went back to the living room, took his clothes and went to the bathroom. He folded the pyjamas and left them on the couch. He walked to the door but before he could grab the handle, Richards appeared.

‘Whoa, whoa, where are you going?’ he asked

‘Out’ Stephen replied, not feeling in the mood for another honest chat with the guy.

‘Why? Is Tony awake?’

‘Yes, he is’ he said before stepping out the apartment.

 

 

 

‘I’m stupid’  
  


‘I know’  
  


‘Hey!’  
  
  
‘What?’

  
‘You’re supposed to say something like “Of course you’re not stupid, Tony. You can fix this”?

  
‘When have I ever said something like that?’

  
‘Remind me why we are friends, Richards?’

  
‘Cause I’m awesome and everyone wants to be friends with me’

  
‘Mm… nope, that doesn’t sound right’

  
‘Well, if I remember correctly our parents didn’t give us much of a choice’

  
‘That’s it!’

Reed and Tony were talking in the kitchen counter. Richards went directly to Tony’s room after Stephen left and demanded an explanation. Tony repeated the scene and Richards made him realise his unbelievably poor choice of words.

‘I just panicked. I didn’t even remember what happened last night besides St-Steve showing up and my panic’

‘Yeah, you probably shouldn’t say that either’  
  


‘I can’t believe I kissed him’ Tony said, losing the thread of the conversation and picturing him and Stephen all happy and together.  
  


‘Well, you did. I was pretty sure you two were shagging in the bathroom before everything went to shit’  
  


 Tony sighed in frustration. How did he manage to fuck things up so wonderfully?  
  


‘I’m so stupid’  
  


‘I know’

Tony glared at Reed but didn’t say anything. Stephen had left about 8 minutes ago and all Tony wanted to do was bury himself in his bed and smell the pillow Stephen had slept on. But of course he couldn’t do that. Obadiah was on his way, apparently he had called Rhodey in the morning to know how the party had went and he didn’t react well to the news. Tony was supposed to take a shower and get dressed.

  
‘By the way, what are all these bags doing here? I don’t remember you ever buying groceries’

  
'Yeah, I know. I just wanted to have some stuff in case… My fridge is almost always empty’

  
‘You were planning to cook?’

  
‘Maybe’

  
‘Wow, you really are head over heels for that guy’

  
‘Shut up. I fucked things up’

  
‘I wouldn’t worry that much’ Reed said, grabbing a glass of water ‘Stephen feels the same. You just need to talk to him’

  
‘You really think so?’

  
‘I know so’

  
‘How?’

  
Before Richards could reply the main door opened. Tony looked at the clock.

  
‘Shit. Obadiah’s here. Did he take a fucking helicopter or something?’

  
Reeds shrugged, a bit surprised too. Tony stood up.

  
‘Hey, Obby, sorry. I’m not ready yet but in my defe-‘ Tony froze when the person who walked in the kitchen wasn’t who he expected ‘Stephen’

  
‘Yeah, sorry. Is Obadiah coming?’ Stephen said nonchalantly while putting three cups of coffee in the table.

  
Reed and Tony stared at him.

  
‘What?’

  
‘You didn’t leave’ Tony said, with a shy smile on his face.

  
‘No, I just went outside to call Wong and Christine, make sure they got home and that. I don’t normally drink coffee but I figured we could use some’ Tony nodded but didn’t move, Richards was still looking at him ‘What? You want me to leave?’

  
‘No, no, no!’ Tony said quickly finally reacting and taking one cup of coffee ‘Thanks. I really need this’

  
‘Good’ Stephen said taking his own cup and taking a seat ‘I talked to Chuck by the way. Breakfast should be here any minute. I know you like omelettes so I hope you don’t mind I ordered some’

  
‘That’s great’ Tony said too enthusiastically. He hadn’t noticed he was starving.

  
‘So, Obadiah is coming’ Stephen stated. Trying to make small conversation.

  
‘Yeah, yeah. I’m not sure why tough’ Tony continued ‘But he wants to take me somewhere’

  
‘I guess it has something to do with the journalists outside the building’

  
‘The what?’ Reed asked

  
‘Well, more like paparazzi I guess’

  
‘There’s paparazzi outside?’

  
‘They are, but I guess they’ll be gone soon. Chuck was not happy to see them. I just went to the lobby to ask him where to get some coffee and suddenly flashlights were everywhere. I guess one of them thought I was you’

  
‘Weird’

  
Stephen nodded.

The three drank their coffee in silence. Tony was trying to find the right words to say to Stephen. He had really fucked up. But he was still convinced that the med student had spent the night with him only because he had asked, not really giving him any option. Still, he wanted to apologise, he had been very rude to Stephen when he had only intended to help him and that was the other thing. Tony felt so ashamed for the panic attack, that’s not the kind of thing Stephen needed to see. Which made him think of Steve. _Shit, no time for that right now_

‘Hey, we can still study if you want. I can call you when I’m back from wherever Obadiah is planning to take me. Today’s Saturday after all...’

 

‘Well’ Stephen began and Tony had a bad feeling about what he was going to say next ‘Actually, I have lots of homework and exams are soon so maybe we should just meet on Monday. We’ve already studied 90% of the subjects on the list. I’m sure we can cover the rest with Mrs. Abbott’  
  


‘Oh’ Tony said, and Reed looked at his friend with a worried/sad expression on his face ‘Yeah, yeah. You’re right. And I am a certified genius after all, aren’t I?’  
  


‘Sure’ Stephen said with a weak smile.  
  


The breakfast came and Reed tried cheer up the mood in the kitchen. Stephen cooperated and actually starting chatting about college with him. Tony made occasional comments and ate rather quickly. When he finished he stood up and looked at Stephen.

‘I’m gonna go get ready. Obadiah will be here any minute’ The teenagers nodded and Tony sighed, trying to give himself the confidence for what he was about to say ‘Hey, Strange, can I speak with you for a moment?’ the millionaire said pointing to the hall  
  


‘Sure’ He replied and followed Tony down the hall.  
  


“Hey, about what I said earlier… What happened last night” Tony said, pointing to Stephen and then to himself.   
  


“Don’t worry about it. I get it… It just happened, right?”   
  


“Yeah. I- I wanted to say sorry, though, for what I said this morning.  
  


I know you were trying to help’   
  


“It’s okay, I understand’   
  


Tony wanted to add something more but Stephen really didn’t want to hear it. He was feeling bad enough already.  
  


“I should leave now”  
  


“Oh. Okay, thanks for everything. I’ll see you on Monday”  
  


“Sure”  
  


They both looked like they wanted to do something more, move closer to each other but they didn’t. Tony was sure Stephen wanted to leave after everything that had happened and Stephen was sure Tony wanted him to leave so they could start pretending nothing happened. Those idiots.

Stephen left and walked back to his bedroom. About 10 minutes later, both Wong and Christine entered without knocking and found the med student laying on his couch, staring at the ceiling.  
  


“What happened?” Christine asked.  
  


“Nothing”  
  


“Come on, Stephen, tell us. Everything happened so quickly”  
  


Strange sighed and sat. “Well, he… he had a panic attack, I think”  
  


“Because of that guy?” Wong inquired  
  


“Yeah”  
  


“And who is he?”  
  


“Well, he was Tony’s boyfriend a while ago. As to why seeing him made him panic I have no idea”  
  


Stephen’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Bruce: _Rhodey wants to see you_  
  


“But apparently I will find out soon. Hopefully” he said while sending a reply. Wong and Christine shared a confused look.  
  


“Okay… so why are you here and not with him?”  
  


“Because he has things to do. I have things to do. And…”   
  


“What?”  
  


“I don’t know. Maybe I should take some distance”   
  


Christine looked at him incredulous. “This isn’t making any sense, Stephen. What happened? You look sad for someone who made out with his crush last night, like, isn’t he your boyfriend already?”  
  


Stephen sighed again and fell back on the couch. He closed his eyes and remembered the kiss. The first one. Jesus, it felt like that happened so long ago.  
  


“I… I don’t think he wants a relationship or anything similar”  
  


“Are you kidding me?”  
 

“No” he replied, before Christine could continue. He had no energy to discuss this “He actually said it. It was a mistake. He is- I don’t know. I thinks he needs space”

 

His friends looked at him with sad eyes. Stephen asked them to leave. Maybe he could explain things later, but right now he wanted to shower, eat until his stomach hurt and lay on bed the rest of the day. Which he wasn’t going to be able to do, clearly, ‘cause his phone buzzed again. Why couldn’t he have some peace and quiet?

 

_Rhodey wants to see you_ 10:03

   
 _I am tired_ 10:05

_  
Says it’s urgent_ 10:05

   
 _I have to take a shower_ 10:08  
  


_He can wait_ 10:09  
  


_What does he want to talk about?_ 10:12  
  


_Steve Rogers_ 10:12  
 

_Fine. Where? 10:12_   
  


_The rooftop of the physics building. 12PM 10:15_   
  


Was the guy trying to get skin cancer?  
  


_OK 10:16_


End file.
